Mark Williams has a holy smoke before donning his cassock for his role as charismatic clergyman sleuth Father Brown.

The star is currently filming the 12th series of the BBC crime drama in Worcester.

A plethora of fan favourites are also returning for the new series which is expected to
land on BBC One and BBC iPlayer early next year.

They include Strictly winner Tom Chambers as Chief Inspector Sullivan, Claudie Blakley as Mrs Devine, Ruby-May Martinwood as Brenda and John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow.

Mark, who turns 66 in August, was snapped today (Wed) enjoying a crafty cigarette during a break in filming.

Fans of the show waited patiently at the end of Oswald Road in the city for a peek at their favourite stars.

One said: "I was so excited to hear the series was coming back."

"I absolutely love the show and Mark is wonderful as Father Brown."

Mark, best known for his role as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, was back on home turf for filming having been brought up in nearby Bromsgrove.

After working at the Royal Shakespeare Company he came to public attention as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch programme The Fast Show.