Murder Before Evensong: All the suspects emerging as Champton St Mary killer in the TV adaptation
The murder in the six-part series takes place in 1988 in St Mary’s Church, Champton St Mary
Murder Before Evensong introduces Canon Daniel Clements, a vicar who discovers a dead body in his church – and there are no shortage of suspects.
Airing on both Acorn and Channel 5 (from Tuesday, October 07, 2025), the six-part cosy crime drama is based on Rev Richard Coles bestselling book of the same name.
It’s 1988, and likeable vicar Daniel shares Champton rectory with his interfering but well-meaning mother and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda. But when he finds a dead body at the back of his church, his previously peaceful existence is disrupted as he helps the local constabulary investigate the case.
So who was the victim Anthony Bowness, and who are the top suspects in Murder Before Evensong? Here’s the evidence so far unpacked.
***Warning: mild spoilers from Murder Before Evensong episode 1 ahead***
What happened to Anthony Bowness?
Anthony Bowness lived in the village of Champton St Mary, and was known for being fanatical about the war. All the locals recognised him as the cousin of the Lord Bernard de Floures.
Bernard (played by Adam James in the Murder Before Evensong cast) owns the local stately home, Champton House. He’s also a patron of Daniel’s church, and the father of Honor and the wayward Alexander.
During episode 1, we saw Anthony having heated conversations with several Champton residents. And within the hour, he was dead.
An unknown killer had stabbed Anthony in the neck with a pair of secateurs. But who, and why? And why had Anthony been in St Mary’s Church at night in the first place?
A synopsis for the series said: ” The police move in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his fractured community together… and catch a killer.”
Who are the suspects in the TV adaptation of Murder Before Evensong?
There is no shortage of suspects in Murder Before Evensong. In fact, as the series goes on, there are more bodies discovered and an increasing number of suspects which changes frequently! All the characters seem to be hiding secrets, and the village’s role in the war is very possibly relevant, too – not to mention the church’s proposed toilet!
Of course, Daniel’s role in the church is crucial. He knows all the suspects, and his status as a man of the church means that people are already used to telling him their darkest secrets…
The initial suspects for the murder of Anthony Bowness in Murder Before Evensong are few, and the clues sparse. But here’s what we have so far…
Who is the killer in Champton St Mary?
Well, we won’t know who killed Anthony Bowness until the final episode. Unless you’ve read the book, and that’s cheating! But the top suspects in Murder Before Evensong so far are:
Lord Bernard de Floures
Bernard is, of course, a suspect in the death of his cousin Anthony. He’s been acting pretty weird ever since the murder – sobbing into his whiskey glass, the poor lamb – and had good reason to be furious at Anthony.
They pair were seen arguing over money the very day Anthony died. He subsequently discovered that Anthony had been selling Bernard’s precious art collection to a gallery – and leaving fakes in their place. He basically defrauded his own cousin. After everything Bernard had done for Anthony, he had every right to be angry at him. But angry enough to kill?
Gamekeeper Edgy and his grandson Nathan
Edgy is the groundsman (and general dogsbody) at Champton House, working for Bernard. He likes to donate some of his “bounty” to Canon Daniel to turn into pies. Of course, viewers know that Edgy was watching Anthony just moments before his death. So, if he didn’t kill him, he probably knows who did.
Edgy and his grandson Nathan both have colourful – cough, criminal – pasts, with villagers considering them “gypsies”. And there’s also the fact that Edgy keeps telling Nathan “stick to the story”. As red flags go, it’s a big one. Although, in this case, we think a red herring. They’re just too obvious.
Ned Thwaite
Newspaper Ned Thwaite was potentially the last person to speak to Anthony Bowness alive. The pair spoke on the phone five times on the day of his death. By explanation, Ned told DS Neil Vanloo: “Anthony was a pain. Always going on and on about Champton at war stuff. Always wanting to look at the newspaper archives.”
But we know there’s more to it than that. Ned’s wife Jane had had some sort of secret relationship with Anthony before this death.
Jane Thwaite
The wife of Ned, Jane was seen meeting Anthony for secret liaisons. In fact, she confessed to her husband that she had been meeting Anthony in secret – and it wasn’t the first time. It seems that the pair were previously somehow entangled. As yet, we don’t know if their relationship was sexual, or something else. Could she have killed Anthony out of jealously, or despair?
Bernard’s son Alexander
Bernard’s younger son, Alex, was also seen having a heated exchange with Anthony at the village open day. And he seems to be quite upset by the presence of the police.
He told his sister: “There are police nosing around everywhere. You can’t choose what secrets get out.”
Whether Alex had anything to do with Anthony’s death remains to be seen. But his secret? Most likely the fast that he is gay in a homophobic world.
Of course, we know that the suspects in Murder Before Evensong could actually be ANY of the villagers at this point. Most notably, Stella Harper, Kath and Dora Sharman, or even Honor De Floures.
Murder Before Evensong suspects: Was Daniel the intended victim?
The murderer struck Anthony Bowness from behind. There were no defensive wounds, which meant the victim didn’t see the attacker. So does that mean that the attacker didn’t see Anthony?
Anthony wasn’t supposed to be in the church at that time. Was the intended victim actually Canon Daniel Clement? After all, he’s been getting some pretty nasty hate mail through the post…
Although, the murder weapon suggests that the act may have been “spur of the moment”. Had the killer planned to commit murder, then wouldn’t they have taken a weapon with them?
Instead, they grabbed what was in the church – a pair of dirty garden secateurs which left plant matter in the wound.
All will be revealed as the series continues on Acorn (on Monday nights), and Channel 5 (on Tuesdays).
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