Monsignor Renard

This unsung series went almost unnoticed when first broadcast. Like Foyle's War, it stares right in the face of some of the unpalatable truths about WW2. It's a gem. Sadly only four episodes exist, I think.

French and British people on the Home Front didn't all behave stoically. There was more collaboration than Resistance in France and very little Resistance at all for the first two years. Monsignor Renard is set in The Forbidden Zone, in the fictional village of St Jos-sur-Mer, close to Calais and focuses entirely on the life of the village, rather than the war, which comes to an abrupt halt halfway through the first episode. The excellent portrayal of everyday life under occupation tops everything recent and contains some great performances from Thaw, Cheryl Campbell, Andrew McCulloch and a very classy crew of native German actors.

Unfortunately, it was just getting into its stride when the plug was pulled and John Thaw, who was never better, tragically passed away. But what there is, is good enough. If you felt short changed by Charlotte Gray, or even if you liked it, you'll enjoy this more.

Of all the TV series dealing with WW2 this one stands out as being very different. For a change Monsignor Renard deals with the everyday lives of a small Northern French village seen through the eyes of it's priest. The Germans are not all seen as the Nazi brutes of common perception, neither are the all the French brave resistance fighters. These are human stories showing how the conquering Germans learned to live with the conquered French and visa verse.

The acting is spot on, I've read that John Thaw was considered wrong for the part, no way, he shines throughout. Spot a young Dominic Monahagn who has gone on to Hollywood stardom in the Lord of the Rings saga amongst others.

It's a shame a second series was not commissioned, IMDb says it was because of low ratings for the first but I think it was more due to John Thaw's declining health, he died in 2002 less than two years after the series was screened.

The premise is still a good one and could be revived for a remake with more than one series. Come on, there must be a production company out there willing to take it on.

When I strolled into the beautiful French village of St. Valerie-sur-Somme as a tourist and saw a group of Nazis chatting on a street corner, I unfortunately did not know that this wonderful miniseries was being filmed. After seeing it on TV a year or so later I was so disappointed that I didn't wait and maybe get a chance to see John Thaw act, or some of the others of the fine cast (I did have a little chat with a "Nazi" extra, who was very friendly, very English and very hot in his woollen uniform in the French summer heat).

Great story about ordinary people in an ordinary little town during extraordinary times. It paints a realistic picture of that period, one in which not all French people were active in the Resistance and not all Germans -or even German soldiers- were bad people. There are shades of good and bad in every character in the series, as is the case in real life. That's what I liked most about this series, as well as the convincing period feel of it. And how nice to hear Germans actually speak German to each other! The English actors trying to pronounce french words and names sounded a bit awkward at times, but the solid acting made up for that. John Thaws performance as Monsignor Renard was great (sadly, the world lost a great actor when he passed away), but the less well-known actors that made up most of the rest of the cast were good too. Sadly only 4 episodes were made, I would have liked to see more of the village and it's people and the way they would have coped with the continuing war (since it was only the very beginning of 1941 when the story ended).

5 out of 5!

After a twenty year absence, Monsignor Renard returns to his home village to take up the position vacated by his predecessor, no sooner has he arrived, The Germans occupy the village.

What an absolute gem of a series this is, first rate in every single aspect. A fascinating watch, think of what a series Allo Allo would have been, if it was made as a straight up drama.

The first and final episodes are both hugely gritty and dramatic, the middle two focus more on day to day life, as The French try to love alongside their Nazi invaders.

So much happens, you're made to consider the second world war from an entirely different perspective, easy to forget that this situation actually happened. We have love, hatred, we see collaborators and resistance.

Visually stunning, awesome sets, tremendous costumes, it looks so wonderfully authentic.

The acting is first rate, John Thaw is awesome as the main character, so different to Morse, Cheryl Campbell and Dominic Monaghan both impress equally as much.

How sad it ended after just four episodes, there were definitely more stories to be told here.

Terrific series, a wonderful watch, 10/10.

Monsignor Renard's only flaw was how abruptly it ended, the show really did feel incomplete and cried out for another series at least. And it probably would have done if it hadn't fallen victim to costs, with location shooting being expensive and the financial crisis at the time, and if John Thaw hadn't died so ultimely two years later. Its cancellation was nothing to do with lack of quality, if remembered correctly from what I read about it it was a ratings success and those who've seen and remember it do so fondly. It is a shame really because Monsignor Renard was a great series; it was very well-made with splendid locations(the scenery is the equal of that in A Year in Provence, another John Thaw gem and also shot in France) and the photography was professional and allowed us to enjoy it. The music was mostly understated while having some searing and suspenseful without being obvious. Monsignor Renard was intelligently scripted and is very thought-provoking; characterisation-wise it doesn't quite avoid stereotypes but the characters are interesting at least and while the Germans are more sympathetic than the French here Monsignor Renard doesn't try to be too one-sided. With the story there was a sense of the uneasiness and tension of the time but also how good the leadership was between the character and there is always room for a good-natured and warm-hearted approach, both of which Monsignor Renard has. The cast play their parts beautifully with the accents more than convincing. Cheryl Campbell, Andrew McCulloch and Dominic Monaghan are great but acting honours do belong to John Thaw in a role that is not quite among his best work(Morse, Kavanagh, The Sweeney, Goodnight Mister Tom) but stands out favourably among his latter work. He is classy and commanding and communicates a lot and sometimes just with his face and eyes. All in all, a great series that deserved a stronger resolution and better chance than what it got. 9/10 Bethany Cox