The Oracle of the Dog
Colonel Arthur Druce is unhappy with his son Harry for his frivolous behaviour and his daughter Janet for her choice of a French doctor as fiancé. He summons his lawyer and changes his will, only to be stabbed to death shortly thereafter in the estate's summer house. Houseguest Father Brown assists in tracking down his late host's killer.
More from Series 1
Episode 1
The Hammer of God
Lord of the manor Colonel James Bohun, a sadistic bully and chauvinistic womaniser, is widely loathed in his small English village. Despite being married, he openly flaunts his conquests and shows only disdain for the beliefs of his brother Wilfred, the local Anglican vicar. When James is found in the churchyard with his skull smashed by a single blow from a blacksmith's hammer, Father Brown, a guest of the vicar's, brings his sleuthing skills to the case.
Episode 3
The Curse of the Golden Cross
When American archaeologist Gerald Smaill uncovers a golden Byzantine cross in cave in Asia Minor, a disembodied voice threatens death. En route back to England via cruise, he receives further threats and confides in fellow traveller Father Brown. A secret crypt beneath a Dover church has been recently uncovered containing the body of a 13th-century bishop mummified in Egyptian fashion, along with a similar golden cross. Smaill, Brown, and several passengers investigate the find and risk the curse that accompanies it.
Episode 4
The Eye of Apollo
Aging, blind dowager Miss Dorothy Ammersly, an advocate of equality for women in the workplace, has consigned her fortune to her niece, successful businesswoman Pauline Stacey. Unfortunately, Pauline is not as astute on judging character and has fallen under the spell of ex-convict Kalon, who has reinvented himself as the high priest to Apollo, the sun god. Pauline makes out her will, ignoring her sister and naming him as her sole heir, before falling to her death. Having been in close proximity, Kalon becomes a suspect, but he has an impeccable alibi provided by one Father Brown.
Episode 5
The Three Tools of Death
Scottish noble Sir Aaron Armstrong is a reformed alcoholic who advocates temperance and hires dipsomaniac Patrick Royce as his secretary on condition he give up the sauce. When Armstrong learns that his daughter Alice plans to marry Royce, he ignores Royce's fifteen months of sobriety and discharges him. Not long after, Armstrong is found with a broken neck outside a high window on his estate, the apparent victim of foul play. Father Brown assists Inspector Gilder in investigation.
Episode 6
The Mirror of the Magistrate
Brilliant but controversial conservative jurist Sir Arthur Travers is found murdered by gunshot in his estate garden. As he was murdered outdoors, the police are unable to explain how an indoor mirror in his house came to be shattered. Osric Orm, a Fabian Socialist known for his radical views, is charged, but Father Brown instinctively believes him innocent and sets out to find the real killer.
Episode 7
The Dagger with Wings
Wealthy Essex landowner Augustus Aylmer confesses to Father Brown that fear of his impending death has caused him to dabble in the occult, enabled by John Strake, his adopted son. Aylmer had made Strake his heir because he feels his natural sons aren't needy, but ultimately realises his error and disinherits the necromancer. When two of his sons die under unusual circumstances, Brown suspects foul play.
