Father Brown returns to BBC One today, January 10, as a medieval murder is committed during a battle re-enactment. Mark Williams returns as the main character with Tom Chambers as one of the police chiefs.
Tom is a 47-year-old English actor known for his role as Sam Strachan in Holby City and Casualty. He also played Max Tyler on Waterloo Road and won season six of Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Camilla Dallerup.
Born and raised in Derbyshire, he grew up with an interest in ballroom dancing. He now lives in Marlow in Buckinghamshire.
The star is married to Claire Harding and they have three children – William, Olive and Poppy. His marriage came after horrific circumstances in December 2000.
He was traveling from London to Nairobi on a British Airways plane when a hijacker broke into the cockpit and the crew tried to restrain him.
During the struggle, the autopilot disengaged and caused the plane to crash with approximately 400 passengers on board.
The pilots regained control of the plane and all passengers landed safely. But a near-death experience prompted Tom to search for his teenage sweetheart, Claire, and propose to her.
After the incident, he told the Mirror: “It was the most terrifying experience of my life. This man lunged straight at the controls and sent her diving. The oxygen masks fell off and a trolley fell into the corridor.”
“Everyone was praying. I thought this couldn’t happen. I thought I was going to die without having a chance to be with Claire or even say goodbye. All I could think was, ‘I have to marry Claire.’
“We were only four seconds away from hitting the ground when the crew was able to regain control.”
Claire, who was previously in another relationship, was also involved in a near-fatal accident.
Tom explained: “At the time Claire was still with another man and it was not appropriate to try to break them up.
“But two years ago she was crossing a street in London when she was hit by a taxi and injured.
“But the first person she called was me, not him. I knew then that the time was right.”
The couple married in October 2008 in Derbyshire, and he had to change the date due to strict commitments.
Claire was against him being on the show because she didn’t want him to disrupt their big day, but knowing how proud her grandparents were to see him on their favorite show, they agreed to swap the date.
Father Brown airs on BBC One on January 10 at 2pm