This excellent 4 episode drama, set in a small French town at the beginning of WW2, was made for ITV and stars John Thaw (Morse) as Monsignor Renard - a priest returning to his hometown just as the Nazi's invade France. As he struggles to win back the affection of his estranged brother, and come to terms with his former sweetheart whom he left to join the priesthood, Renard finds himself in the role of go between for the villagers and the invading German army.

As Renard fights to keep the townsfolk safe and to solve the problems that occupation brings - girls beginning to date the German soldiers, escaped RAF men needing help, local youths determined to cause trouble whenever they can, children missing after being separated from their parents, not to mention the plight of a Jewish woman and her child - he realises that day to day life in France may never be the same.

One of the local youths (Dominic Monaghan - Lord of the Rings, Lost) in particular is cocky and taunting, but when he finaly goes to far can Renard save him? Some of the German officers are decent and wish to live peaceably with the locals - but Renard is all too aware of the tensions and must try to keep the two sides apart.

With high production values and pacey scripts, this series was perhaps the victim of the costs of making it. Only 4 stories were made. A pity, but perhaps ITV could revisit the series and recast the lead role?

For viewers who enjoyed the ordinary struggles of occupied Jersey depicted in Island at War and Enemy at the Door, Monsignor Renard is a must have series. Fans of John Thaw will welcome one of his finest acting performances in his long and award laden career.

It has been a pleasure to watch this atmosperic and epic film about an upright French priest in occupied France in the 1940s. Setting and cast are convincing, so is the plot. And for once the Germans, Wehrmacht and Geheimpolizei, are depicted in a balanced way; even the German spoken is idiomatic and authentic! All too often Germans in British films sound artificial and as if they were short of breath. Highly recommended (I am German)!