BritBox North America, the streaming service operated by the BBC and ITV, has commissioned a drama based on a character that first appeared in the hit British daytime show Father Brown.

The Sister Boniface Mysteries will star Lorna Watson (Watson & Oliver) after she featured as sleuthing nun Sister Boniface in the first season of crime-fighting period drama Father Brown on BBC One.

BBC Studios will produce the 10-part spin-off drama, having made eight seasons of Father Brown since 2013, and it focuses on light-hearted murder mysteries in 1960s England.

Created by Jude Tindall (Father Brown), Sister Boniface is using advanced techniques for tracking down killers and acts as a scientific advisor to the police, working alongside Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie and Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone.

Watson said: “She is such a fun character to play. Quirky, funny, endearing and a total brain when it comes to forensics. In many ways she’s ahead of her time and I love her for that. It’s not every day you get to play a crime-solving, Vespa driving nun.”

The Sister Boniface Mysteries was commissioned by Soumya Sriraman, the president and founder of BritBox North America, while Will Trotter is the executive producer. BBC Studios is selling the show internationally.

BritBox operates independently from BritBox in the UK, but there is no reason why The Sister Boniface Mysteries might not end up on the British version of the streamer if it is acquired from BBC Studios. The UK site is gearing up to unveil its first commissions this year after launching in November 2019.