Father Brown is the priest at St Mary's Catholic Church in the fictional village of Kembleford, located in the Cotswolds, in an unknown parish.

Britain is struggling with the aftermath of the Second World War, rationing is still in effect, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place, the death penalty has not yet been abolished, and homosexuality and abortion are still illegal.

An empathetic man of keen intelligence, Father Brown solves murder cases when members of his parish are involved, when circumstances are strange enough to gain his interest, or when he is directly asked for help.

He is also sometimes aided by socialite Lady Felicia Montague; her driver, Sid Carter (a former criminal); and her niece, Bunty Windermere.

His experiences as a veteran, along with his vocation as a priest, give him great insight into human nature as well as a desire to offer forgiveness and redemption, wishing to serve his concept of justice rather than strictly following the letter of the law and condemning the guilty.

While he then urges them to admit their crimes to the authorities and accept responsibility, he also promises he will not reveal their actions or prevent their escape if they choose otherwise but he will only interfere if they will do something to harm others.

Executive Producer John Yorke came up with the idea after hearing a radio documentary about G. K. Chesterton presented by Ann Widdecombe.

Although half of the episodes in the first series were loosely based on the Chesterton stories, a decision was made to restrict the programme's location and date.

The 1950s were chosen because the detective could solve puzzles using his mind and knowledge of human nature instead of relying on modern technology.

[16] Also used were the 1930s portion of Shire Hall, Warwick, headquarters of Warwickshire County Council; Bloxham School in Oxfordshire;[17] and Worcester Guildhall.

[19][20] BBC Worldwide has sold Father Brown to 232 territories,[27] including, Australia (ABC and 7TWO), Belgium (VRT), the Netherlands (KRO-NCRV), BBC First (Dutch TV channel), Spain (Paramount Network), Portugal (FOX Crime), Finland (YLE), Sweden (TV8), Denmark (DR), Norway (NRK), Estonia (ETV), Iceland (RÚV), Poland( BBC First ,TVP2)Italy (LA7), Croatia (HRT), and Brazil (TV Cultura).

[29] In January 2020, it was announced that production had begun of a ten-episode series titled Sister Boniface Mysteries for BritBox, the streaming service.

Father Brown is available on DVD in Region 1 in the United States and Canada via BBC Video.