Father Brown, the beloved BBC comedy-drama, has returned for its 12th season, featuring a host of stars over the years. Sorcha Cusack, an Irish actress, portrayed Bridgette McCarthy, Father Brown’s (played by Mark Williams) church secretary at St Mary’s.
Before the 10th season, Sorcha Cusack, along with Emer Kenny and Jack Deam, departed the show. This was confirmed when a promotional image for the new series was unveiled.
John Burton, who portrays Sergeant Goodfellow, took to Twitter to explain the cast reshuffle. He stated: “Occasionally long running shows need to be refreshed due to artists’ availability.
Sorcha Cusack with Mark Williams
“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.
“Yes, there are some changes – but they are brilliant changes, and I truly believe you will absolutely love the new/returning characters. For the moment, we have said goodbye to a few characters who have been brilliant to work with over the years.”
With this in mind it appears Sorcha left to explore new projects and she has not addressed her character’s exit.
Sorcha’s sisters, Sinead and Niamh, as well as her half-sister Catherine Cusack, are all actresses.
In the 2020 episode of Father Brown titled The Numbers of the Beast, Niamh portrayed Mrs McCarthy’s sister Roisin.
Sorcha Cusack left the series after season nine
Meghan Cusack, the actress who plays Nancy Corrigan in Call the Midwife, is also her niece.
On Reddit, fans voiced their dismay over her departure from Father Brown, with Cindy-Marie saying: “I don’t know why, but she is irreplaceable, and season 10 proved it.”
SkipMapudding chimed in: “Not the same without her. Show feels so different. Sorcha was in the first series of Dalgleish which is another show I love.”
Father Brown returns on BBC One on January 10 at 2pm