Beyond Paradise (TV series)

Beyond Paradise is a British crime drama television series that first aired on 24 February 2023. It is a spin-off of the long-running crime series Death in Paradise and stars Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton.

On 8 April 2023, it was renewed for a second series and a Christmas special. On 26 April 2024, another Christmas special and a third series were commissioned.

Synopsis

The show follows Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, who left Saint Marie to be with Martha Lloyd. After becoming engaged, the couple move to Martha's hometown of Shipton Abbott, near the Devon coast. Not long after arriving, Humphrey joins the small local police force, where he quickly makes an impression on the local officers: Detective Sergeant Esther Williams, PC Kelby Hartford and office support worker Margo Martins, bringing a whole new approach to police work.

Cast

Main characters

• Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman
• Sally Bretton as Martha Lloyd, Humphrey’s fiancée
• Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams
• Dylan Llewellyn as PC Kelby Hartford
• Felicity Montagu as Margo Martins, office support
• Barbara Flynn as Anne Lloyd, Martha's mother

Recurring characters

• Jamie Bamber as Archie Hughes, Martha's business partner and ex-fiancée (series 1)
• Melina Sinadinou as Zoe, Esther's daughter
• Chris Jenks as Josh Woods, petty thief
• Eva Feiler as Lucy, Josh Woods' fiancée
• Jade Harrison as Chief Superintendent Charlotte (Charlie) Woods
• Peter Davison as Peter/Richard Baxter, Anne's internet date
• Amalia Vitale as Hannah Owen, fostering care case worker

Crossover characters from Death in Paradise

• Don Warrington as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson
• Élizabeth Bourgine as Catherine Bordey
• Ralf Little as DI Neville Parker
• Shantol Jackson as DS Naomi Thomas
• Tahj Miles as Officer Marlon Pryce

Production

Casting

Kris Marshall was one of the most popular detectives to feature on Death in Paradise and the producers knew he resonated with audiences around the world. The producers felt audiences wanted to know what happened to Humphrey and Martha. Sally Bretton also reprised her role from Death in Paradise.

Zahra Ahmadi and Barbara Flynn had both previously appeared in episodes of Death in Paradise playing different characters.

Location

The series is set in the fictional coastal town of Shipton Abbott, South Devon. A number of locations were considered, but the producers settled on the West Country as they felt that Devon had not been used very often in TV drama. They decided to film in the Cornish town of Looe because it has a thriving community with fishing businesses; additionally some scenes were filmed in neighbouring Polperro as well as Fowey. The fictional town is set slightly back from the coast so different storylines could be developed.

Episodes

Series 1 (2023)

Episodes 4–6 on BritBox in the US were shown a week earlier than they were in the UK.

Christmas Special (2023)

Series 2 (2024)

Reception

Michael Hogan of The Telegraph gave it four stars out of five, proclaiming it "superior to its mothership show" and "Charming, cheerful and just gripping enough, it was the cosy crime treat we didn't know we needed." Jack Seale of The Guardian, conversely, awarded the first episode just two out of five stars.

See also

• Looe
• Polperro
• Fowey

Notes

• ¹ Peter claimed to be called "Richard Baxter" after having met Anne on a dating app in episode 2. In episode 4, Anne discovered that he had had a wife the whole time and his real name was Peter.

References

External links

• Beyond Paradise at BBC Online
• Beyond Paradise at IMDb
• Beyond Paradise at epguides.com