Father Brown, the beloved detective series, has been gracing our screens since 2013. Over the years, the BBC show has seen significant cast changes, with Sorcha Cusack, Emer Kenny and Jack Deam, who portrayed Bridgette McCarthy, Bunty Windermere and Inspector Mallory respectively, all departing the series.
Fans have also been curious about other cast departures, including Keith Osborn, who played Sergeant Allbright, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Osborn's character, Allbright, was a recurring figure in the first two seasons of Father Brown, appearing in a total of 10 episodes before his final exit. While the actor has never publicly stated why he left the show, it seems that he has since shifted his focus to theatre, particularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
Following his departure from Father Brown, Osborn took on roles in RSC productions of Henry IV Parts I and II, as well as The Two Gentleman of Verona. He later appeared as Montjoy in Henry V in 2015.
In 2019, he returned to the small screen in ITV's crime series Manhunt, as per IMDb.
Before joining the cast of Father Brown, Osborn had already made a name for himself with roles in The Buddha of Suburbia, London's Burning, The Bill and Doctors. After his departure, his character was replaced by John Burton's Sergeant Daniel Goodfellow, who has remained a staple of the series ever since.
Burton has previously addressed the cast changes on his Twitter, after fans questioned the sudden disappearance of certain characters. He explained: "Occasionally long running shows need to be refreshed due to artists availability, so it means we do have some absentees this year, with a few long-term artists moving onto other projects for their own career progression."
Burton described these changes as "part of an actor's life", with actors going "where the works takes us".
Father Brown is still going strong, with production for season 13 currently underway and expected to air next year.
Reflecting on some of the most memorable Father Brown episodes, lead star Mark Williams shared: "Some of my favourite episodes have been the most eccentric."
He continued: "We had an episode about a secret society of clowns who were a kind of vigilante revenge organisation, and I enjoyed the madness of that."
He also mentioned an episode titled The Smallest of Things which featured crime dioramas based on the nutshell studies of unexplained death (a tool invented in the USA to train detectives), saying "An episode called The Smallest of Things featured a series of crime dioramas based on the nutshell studies of unexplained death (a tool invented in the USA to train detectives) and the ingenuity of that appealed to me."
Williams added: "I also love the eccentric characters we get in the series; I remember Ace Bhatti as a particular favourite, who's character strolled about the lanes wearing only a fez."
Mark Williams, star of the BBC's 'Father Brown', has spoken out about his aspirations for future episodes of the detective series. He expressed his desire to the press, saying: "There are stories we haven't done yet that I hope for. Horse racing, the life of Cotswold shepherds, and I'd love to do an English Civil War story as the Cotswolds was the centre of the action."
Father Brown season 12 is streaming on BBC iPlayer now
