Its sun-dappled tropical setting is one of the factors behind its staggering success. But BBC1’s hit drama, Death in Paradise, will – for two episodes at least – leave behind its fictional Caribbean home in its new series in exchange for the distinctly colder climes of London.
It will be a return home for maladroit detective Humphrey Goodman, played by Kris Marshall, a fish out of water on the fictional paradise island of Saint Marie.
Death in Paradise is one of the BBC’s most popular dramas, watched last year by a consolidated audience of 8 million viewers. It initially starred Ben Miller as detective Richard Poole, who was replaced by Marshall’s Goodman at the beginning of series three.
Its charms may be lost on some critics – “How on earth does this get so many viewers?” the Guardian once asked – but it is one of a select band of hit returnable dramas that manage to hang onto their audience.
Two episodes of the new series – the sixth – will be filmed in London, part of a two-part special featuring the show’s most-complex murder yet.
The new series will feature a host of guest stars including Natasha Little, Ardal O’Hanlon, Douglas Hodge, Monica Dolan and Fiona Allen. Not Going Out star Sally Bretton will also return to the show as Martha Lloyd, a series regular.
Executive producer Tim Key said: “We are very excited to be bringing Death In Paradise to London for the very first time.
“Humphrey has always been a fish out of water in Saint Marie, adjusting to the island’s ways and customs, but for the scenes set in London, the roles are reversed as he is back in his hometown, giving an opportunity to explore the characters that viewers know and love against a new backdrop.”
BBC commissioning editor and executive producer, Elizabeth Kilgarriff, said: “Death In Paradise provides the perfect combination of drama, comedy and sun to warm viewers over the cold winter months.”
The series is made by Tony Jordan’s Red Planet Pictures.
