Nun the wiser: Sister Boniface is back to solve more Cotswolds crimes

Have you heard that the Cotswolds is among the world’s most desirable places to live? Clearly, that doesn’t apply to to the picturesque village of Great Slaughter in the 1960s. Living there is not the done thing at all. Yep, it’s got a real murder problem – but that’s fine, because it also has its very own holy sleuth.

She’s Sister Boniface, and she’s back for a fourth series of crime-solving capers in Sister Boniface Mysteries on U&Drama HD (CH 116), starting at 9pm on Friday 26 September. Lorna Watson returns as the moped-riding, wine-making nun with the curiosity, tenacity and expertise (and fully equipped crime lab) to ensure the local police keep their arrest rate healthy.

Since the good sister became the star crime-solver of her own show in 2022 – having first appeared in Father Brown back in 2013 –  she’s been caught up in all sorts of unlikely cases. From a beauty queen stabbed with a stiletto heel to a ritual slaying involving a witches’ coven, and from a radio DJ electrocuted by his own microphone to a toy seller seemingly knifed by one of his own dolls, Sister B has investigated them all. No wrongdoer has escaped her detective’s instinct. Cotswolds criminals: say your prayers.

And the wave of unfortunate deaths in Great Slaughter (after all, it doesn’t rhyme with “laughter”) shows no sign of stopping. At the start of the new series, another TV show is in town to film, not surprisingly considering how picture-perfect the village is. But when one of the leads falls to her death during a stunt, Sister Boniface is soon on the case. Other upcoming cases include a mechanical bucking bronco gone wild and homicides apparently committed by a killer scarecrow. It’s no wonder the local police – DI Sam Gillespie (Max Brown), DS Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu) and Constable Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf) – are baffled, so thank goodness they’ve got the sharp-witted nun on their team.

But this series will also find Sister Boniface coming up against her biggest challenge yet: the threat of property developers who have set their sights on St Vincent’s Convent. Can she see them off with the same steely conviction she uses on murderers, and safeguard the future for herself and her sisters?

The fourth series of Sister Boniface Mysteries begins at 9pm on Friday 26 September on U&Drama HD (CH 116) and continues at the same time every Friday. Or you can watch all eight episodes from Friday 26 September on Apps > U or U&Drama on demand, where you’ll also find series 1-3 and the specials The Star Of The Orient and Once Upon A Time.

Can’t get enough of those cosy crime comedy dramas? Us neither. Like a cup of tea or queuing, there’s nothing more British than solving grisly murders in an idyllic setting as delightful capers unfold all around.

In fact, this genre has birthed some of TV’s greatest sleuths including Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme, Father Brown and the grandmother of the genre, Miss Marple herself. And there are more due in the near future, including Murder Before Evensong, starring Matthew Lewis as Canon Daniel Clement in a series based on the bestselling book by Rev Richard Coles. Find out which series you should be investigating next – and let the crime-solving commence!

Stream series 1-4 in Sky Max on demand now

Fabulous fashion throughout? Check. Gorgeous Cotswolds setting? Check. A hilarious sidekick to keep the lols coming? Check. Solving crime has never been so glamorous, as PR guru Agatha Raisin (Ashley Jensen) swaps her stilettos for the sticks to solve murders with her BFF Roy Silver (Mathew Horne), including the mystery behind “the quiche of death”.

Stream series 5 in Apps > U or in U&Alibi on demand from Wednesday 24 September. Stream series 1-4 in Apps > BBC iPlayer now

Frank Hathaway (Mark Benton) and Luella Shakespeare (Jo Joyner) take centre stage as a quirky crime-fighting duo cleaning up the mean streets of, er, Stratford-upon-Avon. And if the offbeat premise isn’t enough to hook you, the duo’s supporting act – RADA-trained actor Sebastian Brudenell (Patrick Walshe McBride), who uses his thespian skills for undercover missions – will. They’re back for a new series on U&Alibi HD (CH 114).

Stream series 1-2 in Apps > U or in U&Drama on demand now

While most people join local clubs to make friends or get fit, these three very different women (played by Jo Martin, Samantha Bond and Cara Horgan) prefer a more unusual pastime: sleuthing – and they’re taking it to the next level with a variety of bizarre cases in their delightful Buckinghamshire town. This series has crime-thwarting credentials, having been adapted from Death In Paradise creator Robert Thorogood’s novel.

Stream series 1-2 and the specials in Apps > U or in U&Gold on demand now

Comedy royalty Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson are giving Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson absolutely nothing to worry about as dauntless detectives Terry and Gemma. These former coach tour operators turned private investigators always find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they always manage to crack their cases such as hunting for a bus-based killer and a poisoned pastry scandal between rival bakeries. It’s a whodunnit hoot from start to finish.

Stream series 4 in Apps > 5 or in 5 on demand now

Antiques dealer Jean White (Sally Lindsay) swaps the rolling Cheshire countryside for sun, sea and foul play in this jetsetting murder mystery series. When Jean travels to the fictional French town of Sainte-Victoire in search of the truth behind her husband’s death, her nosy nature leads her to solve some of the crimes that plague her neighbours. Guest stars include Tony Robinson, Richard Blackwood and Paul Chuckle.

Stream series 1-14 in Apps > BBC iPlayer now

The fictional but gorgeous Caribbean island of Saint Marie is the setting for all sorts of knotty murder cases to be solved by all sorts of knotty British and Irish detectives: in order, Richard Poole (Ben Miller), Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall), Jack Mooney (Ardal O’Halan), Neville Parker (Ralf Little) and, currently, Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet). There are more than 100 episodes to get stuck into, as well as three series of the Devon-set spin-off Beyond Paradise and Australian companion series Return To Paradise.

Stream series 1-3 in Apps > 5 or in U&Drama on demand now

Head to the pleasant coastal town of Whitstable and you’ll find Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman), an ex-police officer turned restaurateur with a sideline in, you guessed it, solving crimes. It all starts when her fisherman friend Vinnie drowns, owing money to a man who’s also soon found dead. And once Pearl forms a productive partnership with DCI Mike Maguire (Howard Charles), the Kentish criminal element is on a hiding to nothing.

Stream series 1 in Apps > U now

Mrs Sidhu is a widow with a thriving catering business, bringing top-notch food to her well-heeled customers in the Royal County of Berkshire. But as the daughter of a police officer and a lover of detective novels, Mrs Sidhu has a highly inquisitive nature that gets her embroiled in some deliciously macabre mysteries. Meera Syal stars as the curious cook, whose charm and smarts win over sceptical DCI Peter Burton (Craig Parkinson).

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer now

When DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) discovers retired actor John Chapel (Timothy Spall), former star of a hit detective drama, is living on her patch in south Wales, she knows she’s found the perfect partner in crime-solving. Weddings, am-dram clubs and school reunions prove particularly deadly to the residents of the small town in this scenic and witty drama, with a new series coming your way in 2026.