Born in 1962, the young Richard Coles grew up in Finedon Northamptonshire and attended Wellingborough School.
Age 18, as a gay runaway he moved to London to try to find a liveable life, and there met Glaswegian singer Jimmy Somerville. In 1983, Richard was invited by Jimmy to join his band, Bronski Beat, as a sax player and the following year the duo left to form the Communards. Success came fast and they had the UK’s biggest selling single of 1986. Their success was short lived and they parted in 1988; Jimmy embarking on a solo career, Richard heading to Ibiza where he partied and cannot remember most of 1990. They are still, officially, on a break.
Shortly after, Richard went into a church one day in London and was suddenly inspired with a new found faith. Between 1990 and 1994 he studied for a theology degree at King’s College, London, before returning to Northamptonshire where he avoided getting ordained by presenting radio programmes, mostly for Radio Three.
In 2005, he was ordained and served as curate in Boston, Lincolnshire and then in Knightsbridge, before becoming the 59th Vicar of Finedon. He also resumed his broadcasting career, for 12 years co-presenting BBC Radio Four Saturday Live. Richard Coles frequently popped up on television too, as a regular guest panellist on shows such as Would I Lie to You? Have I Got News for You and QI. Often described as Britain’s most famous vicar, Richard was the inspiration for the main character in the BBC hit comedy Rev, a programme for which he also served as a consultant.
He is also a best-selling author, with twelve books to his credit including the 2021 Sunday Times bestseller, The Madness of Grief, and number one best-selling cosy crime series, The Canon Clement Mysteries.
Murder before Evensong. Adapted for TV by Nick Hicks-Beach, Canon Daniel Clement (Matthew Lewis) is Rector of Champton, where he lives alongside his widowed mother, opinionated, fearless, ever-so-slightly annoying Audrey (Amanda Redman) and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda. When Daniel announces a plan to install a lavatory in the church, the parish is suddenly (and unexpectedly) divided: as lines are drawn, long-buried secrets come dangerously close to destroying the apparent calm of the village. Canon Daniel Clement’s life unravels when one of his parishioners, Anthony Bowness, is found dead. But as Clement investigates the man’s death, he begins to receive threats and questions who he can trust. As the personal threats against him intensify, Clement digs deeper into Anthony’s murder, clashing with DS Vanloo, (Amit Shah) who disagrees with his methods; a new revelation forces Clement to face that the killer lies within his own congregation.
Starring Matthew Lewis, Amanda Redman and Amit Shah
When Stella (Tamzin Outhwaite) witnesses Champton gamekeeper Edgy (Francis Magee) near Anthony’s murder site, Audrey urges Clement to question the man. Believing Ned (Ben Batt) killed Anthony out of jealousy, Jane (Nina Toussaint White) reports him to the police. Meanwhile, a body is left floating in the lake. Clement believes that Anthony and now Ned’s murders are connected to wartime secrets, but DS Vanloo disagrees; as Vanloo investigates Ned’s wife, Jane, Clement angers Bernard (Adam James) and the bishop (Ken Bones) with his behaviour, which worries Audrey.
Starring Tamzin Outhwaite, Francis Magee and Ben Batt.
Disregarding the evidence, Vanloo makes Edgy’s grandson, Nathan, (Sam Baker-Jones) his new prime suspect. Meanwhile, Audrey finds out who has been sending Clement threatening letters, and Clement uncovers a false wall hiding the skeleton of a missing spy. Keeping his gruesome discovery from Neil, Clement lays a trap for the killer, but he is double-crossed; faced with an ethical dilemma, Clement is forced to examine his own nature; it falls to his mother to pull him back from the brink of despair.
Starring Adam James, Ken Bones and Sam Baker-Jones.
Airing on Channel 5 on Tuesday 29th September in 6 episodes.
Information gathered from Richard Coles’ own website and Google A.I.