BBC One's crowd-pleaser Father Brown is entertaining audiences with a brand new season, but some dedicated viewers can't help but notice the absence of a few much-loved characters. Among them is Jack Deam of Shameless fame. Inspector Mallory, portrayed by Deam, stepped in to fill the shoes left by former Inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers). Despite being often irked by Father Brown's (Mark Williams) interference, fondly nicknaming him "Padre", Mallory was notably more gung-ho than his forerunners.
His character won fans over with his open-mindedness and indefatigable spirit. However, it was clear there'd be no more chasing around Cotswold villages for Deam as his absence from the series was confirmed through a revealing publicity shot of the latest season. Addressing concerns about cast changes on Twitter, actor John Burton, known for his role as Sergeant Goodfellow, laid the facts bare.
He tweeted: "Occasionally long running shows need to be refreshed due to artists' availability.". Meaning the new series might feel a bit empty to some as he continued, "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," he advised fans. This announcement indicates Jack Deam left the quaint village crime-solving for pastures anew. Taking to Reddit to discuss the character, Rollerbladinfool said: "I loved Mallory, thought he was a great antagonist to FB.".
