Ojciec Mateusz

Ojciec Mateusz (English: Father Matthew) is a Polish television drama series, which has aired on TVP1 since November 11, 2008. It is a Polish version of the Italian detective series Don Matteo broadcast in Italy by Rai Uno.

Ojciec Mateusz
The title character, Father Mateusz
Genre	Detective show
Based on	Don Matteo
Developed by	Krzysztof Grabowski Film Group Baltmedia Baltmedia Sp. z oo
Starring	Artur Żmijewski Piotr Polk Michał Piela Kinga Preis Maciej Musiał Sławomir Orzechowski Piotr Kozłowski Łukasz Lewandowski Aleksandra Górska Tamara Arciuch
Theme music composer	Michał Lorenc
Country of origin	Poland
Original language	Polish
No. of seasons	24
No. of episodes	313 (list of episodes)
Production
Production location	Sandomierz
Release
Original network	TVP1
Picture format	16:9
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	November 11, 2008 – present
External links
Ojciec Mateusz

Father Mateusz with his familiar bike

Inspector Możejko and Aspirant Nocul

Natalia Borowik

The Bishop

Grandma Lucyna and Michał

The Verger Piotr

Father Mateusz visiting the Bishop. From left: Father Mateusz, Father Jacek and the Bishop

A scene from the show

The show is set in the town of Sandomierz, although scenes in the church are recorded in Glinianka near Otwock, the vicarage in Anin in Warsaw, and the office of the bishop is filmed in the Nieborów Palace. In the fourth series, some episodes take place outside of Sandomierz, including in Kielce, Bałtów, Krzyżtopór, Busko-Zdrój and Opatów, as well as Ćmielów, Wąchock and Zalew Sielpia.

Plot

The series shows the adventures of a Roman Catholic priest who, after returning to Poland from a mission to Belarus, is sent to work in a small parish in Sandomierz. As a pastor, together with a friendly policeman, he solves mysteries and gives help to his parishioners, as well as all those who are in need. Each episode is a separate story.

Main characters

• Father Mateusz Żmigrodzki (Artur Żmijewski) – a Catholic priest. After years of working in Belarus, he returns to Poland and takes a job as a priest in Sandomierz. He has a unique talent in solving crimes, which leads him to delve into many mysteries. He is extremely brilliant, intelligent and perceptive. In episodes in which he doesn't help to solve the case, he is often seen absolving the offender just before he or she gets arrested.
• Deputy Inspector Orest Możejko (Piotr Polk) - a police inspector. He is overbearing and always convinced he is right about his cases. He was initially skeptical about Father Mateusz's talents. He is a non-practicing Catholic atheist.
• Aspirant Mieczysław Nocul (Michał Piela) - an Aspirant in the police and one of Orest Możejki's staff. At the beginning of the show he was a junior policeman, but has been gradually been promoted. He is a friend of Father Mateusz and co-operates with him, and in some episodes he has actually solved the cases himself separately to Father Mateusz, meeting him as he tried to make the offender acknowledge their guilt and repent.
• Natalia Borowik (Kinga Preis) - housekeeper at Father Mateusz's rectory. Grumpy, funny, loyal and devoted to the priest. Her musings often bring Father Mateusz inspiration for solving criminal problems.
• The Bishop (Sławomir Orzechowski) - the bishop of the Diocese. He has known Father Mateusz for years and after the Father's return to Poland entrusts him with his new role in Sandomierz. Despite reports on the unconventional behaviour of Father Mateusz, often fuelled by the secretary - Father Jacek - he has full confidence in Father Mateusz and turns a blind eye to his detective work, although Mateusz does not overstep his boundaries and takes his job as a Catholic priest above everything else.
• Lucyna Wielicka (Aleksandra Górska) and Michał Wielicki (Maciej Musiał) – the inhabitants of the rectory. After their eviction from their home, and much to the dismay of Natalia, Father Mateusz decided to take the family under his roof, and they are treated like his relatives.
• Waldemar Grzelak "Bug" (Eryk Lubos) - a former prisoner. He currently lives in the rectory with Father Mateusz, he met him in prison when he was wrongfully accused of committing an offence, then he became one of Mateusz's friends.
• Justyna Malec (Tamara Arciuch) - the former Mayor of Sandomierz and now Editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, former love interest of Inspector Orest Możejko.
• Daria - Dominik's mother. She is a journalist and travels a lot, and is the wife of Orest Możejko.
• Dominik - Orest Możejko and Daria's son.

Cast

Actor	Role	Status
Artur Żmijewski	Father Mateusz Żmigrodzki	Since 2008
Piotr Polk	Deputy Inspector Orest Możejko	Since 2008
Michał Piela	Police Aspirant Mieczysław Nocul	Since 2008
Kinga Preis	Natalia Borowik	Since 2008
Aleksandra Górska	Lucyna Wielicka	Since 2008
Artur Pontek	Police Sergeant Marian Marczak	Since 2008
Rafał Cieszyński	Police Sergeant Przemysław Gibalski	Since 2008
Tomasz Więcek	Senior Police Constable Ludwik Banaś	2008-2010
Piotr Miazga	Senior Police Constable Bronisław Wierzbicki	Since 2008
Jędrzej Taranek	Police Sergeant Bartosz Paruzel	Since 2008
Sławomir Orzechowski	Bishop	Since 2008
Julia Kornacka	Zosia Nocul	Since 2010
Piotr Kozłowski	Father Jacek Kolanko	Since 2008
Tamara Arciuch	Justyna Malec	Since 2009
Ewa Konstancja Bułhak	Barbara Nocul	Since 2008
Katarzyna Burakowska	Emilka Kozłowska	Since 2010
Eryk Lubos	Waldemar Grzelak "Bug"	Since 2008
Łukasz Lewandowski	Verger Piotr Derlacki	Since 2008
Beata Olga Kowalska	Pathologist	Since 2014
Paulina Chapko	Police Sergeant Karolina Górska	2012-2014
Gabriela Pietrucha	Ola Nocul	Since 2009
Maciej Musiał	Michał Wielicki	2008-2011

Episodes

Series		Title	Episodes		Originally aired
					First aired	Last aired
	1	I	13		7 December 2008	22 February 2009
	2	II	17		6 September 2009	27 December 2009
	3	III	14		4 March 2010	3 June 2010
	4	IV	12		9 September 2010	25 November 2010
	5	V	13		3 March 2011	26 May 2011
	6	VI	13		8 September 2011	2 December 2011
	7	VII	13		8 March 2012	31 May 2012
	8	VIII	13		6 September 2012	29 November 2012
	9	IX	13		28 February 2013	23 May 2013
	10	X	13		5 September 2013	28 November 2013
	11	XI	13		6 March 2014	29 May 2014
	12	XII	13		4 September 2014	27 November 2014
	13	XIII	13		5 March 2015	28 May 2015
	14	XIV	13		3 September 2015	26 November 2015
	15	XV	13		3 March 2016	26 May 2016
	16	XVI	13		1 September 2016	24 November 2016
	17	XVII	13		2 March 2017	27 May 2017
	18	XVIII	13		31 August 2017	23 November 2017
	19	XIX	13		1 March 2018	24 May 2018
	20	XX	13		6 September 2018	29 November 2018
	21	XXI	13		28 February 2019	13 June 2019
	22	XXII	13		12 September 2019	26 December 2019
	23	XXIII	13		27 February 2020	10 September 2020
	24	XXIV	13		17 September 2020	10 December 2020
	25	XXV	13		4 March 2021	TBA

Father Mateusz for Sandomierz

As a result of the floods that hit central Europe in 2010, a charity concert was held in Sandomierz's Old Town on June 19, 2010 to help those who had suffered. A number of actors including Artur Zmijewski, Kinga Preis, Michael Piela, Piotr Polk and Tamara Arciuch from Ojciec Mateusz, musicians Andrzej Piaseczny, Artur Gadowski, Łukasz Zagrobelny, and bands including Big Cyc, Pectus, and Blue Café participated.

Artur Zmijewski led concert along with journalist and TV presenter Paulina Chylewska and the event was broadcast on June 19, 2010 on TVP1.

Awards

• The "Telekamera 2011" for Best Drama weekly awarded for 2010 by the readers of the weekly "Tele Week" in February 2011.
• The "Telekamera 2017" for Best Drama awarded for 2016 by the readers of the weekley "Tele Week" in February 2017.
• The "Telekamera 2019" for Best Drama awarded for 2018 by the readers of the weekley "Tele Week" in February 2019.
• The "Golden Telekamera 2020"

See also

• Don Matteo

Bibliography

• Filmweb (in Polish)
• FilmPolski (in Polish)
• Official program page (in Polish)

References

External links

• Ojciec Mateusz at IMDb
• Official program page (in Polish)