Father Brown is back on BBC One with season 13 and fans have seen some of their favourite characters disappear over the years. One character made a surprise comeback, with Sorcha Cusack returning as Mrs McCarthy, the church secretary, after a four-year hiatus.Â
A few familiar faces have said goodbye to the comedy-drama, including Shameless actor Jack Deam. Inspector Mallory took over from the previous Inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers) in the series. Like those before him, he often felt exasperated by Father Brown (Mark Williams) and referred to him as "Padre".
Although he was much more enthusiastic than his predecessors and was known for being open-minded. He would often chase after leads with a positive attitude, even if they became a dead end.
The star's absence was confirmed when a publicity shot for the 2023 season was released. Actor John Burton, who plays Sergeant Goodfellow, explained what had happened after viewers raised concerns about the cast changes.
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He said on Twitter: "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.
"This is part of an actor's life, and we must go where the work takes us."
With this in mind, it seems Jack left the series to explore new roles. The star is yet to speak out publicly about leaving the beloved series.
He may have said goodbye to his detective role in Father Brown, but the star went on to play authoritative figures in a number of other series following his exit.
In 2023 he starred as DI Les Hanley in the series The Long Shadow, and in 2025 he played Inspector Foulon in the detective series Maigret.
The star clearly has a passion for detective dramas, as he has also taken on guest roles in the esteemed murder mystery shows, Ridley and Vera.
Father Brown airs on BBC One on Fridays at 2pm
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