British Comedy Guide
The Missionary. Charles W. Fortescue (Michael Palin). Copyright: Hand Made Films
The Missionary

The Missionary

  • 1983 film

Michael Palin stars as a clergyman withdrawn from Africa to save the fallen women of London's East End. Also features Maggie Smith, Trevor Howard, Denholm Elliott, Graham Crowden, David Suchet and more.

  • JustWatch Streaming rank this week: 1,897

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The Missionary

The Missionary

In 1906, after ten years of missionary work in Africa, the Reverend Charles Fortescue (Monty Python's Michael Palin) is recalled to England, where his bishop gives him his new assignment - to take charge of a slum mission for prostitutes.

Charles hopes Deborah, his fiancée, will object and give him an excuse to say no to the bishop. But she is so imperturbably innocent that she totally fails to understand what he is being asked to do, and urges him to do his best. He obtains money for the running of the mission from a wealthy woman, Lady Ames (Maggie Smith), whom he meets on the boat sailing to England from Africa. Lady Ames guarantees Fortescue the money on the condition that he takes it upon himself to add a little spice to her dormant sex life...

First released: Monday 4th January 2010

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