Beyond Paradise: Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton to star in Death in Paradise spin-off

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton will reunite for a Death in Paradise spin-off series on BBC One.

Beyond Paradise will reveal what happened to Kris Marshall’s character DI Humphrey Goodman after he left the sunny shores of Saint Marie in series six of Death in Paradise.

Viewers saw Humphrey take control of his destiny and follow fiancée Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) back to London to declare his undying love for her.

Joining Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton on the cast of the new series are Zahra Ahmadi (The Bay, Tracey Ullman’s Show) as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn (Big Boys, Derry Girls) who will be playing PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu (This Time with Alan Partridge, Landscapers, Vanity Fair) playing office support civilian, Margo Martins.

A teaser shares: “A new adventure awaits as we find them arriving in Shipton Abbott, Martha’s hometown near the beautiful Devonshire coast, having left London. As they embark on their new life, the couple are quickly thrown in at the deep end as Martha sets out to pursue her dream of running her own restaurant and Humphrey joins the local police force. Quickly making an impression on the somewhat eclectic team; DS Esther Williams, PC Kelby Hartford and Margo Martins, Humphrey sets out to help crack a host of baffling cases, with the Shipton Abbott squad witnessing a whole new approach to police work…

“Each week the team will be faced with a new crime with a unique puzzle at its heart. The not-so-sleepy town of Shipton Abbott will be rocked by an entire family disappearing without a trace, a woman claiming she was attacked by a suspect from the seventeenth century, the robbery of a highly prized painting, a body bizarrely discovered in a crop circle, and a serial arsonist with a seeming distaste for local businesses.

“As Humphrey gets stuck into his new job, he and Martha must also navigate life’s ups and downs, as faces from the past, the decisions they make and challenges of setting up life in a new town put their relationship to the ultimate test yet.”

Kris Marshall said: “I had the best time playing Humphrey out in Guadeloupe and whilst I was delighted that he got his happy ending with Martha, I always wanted to know what happened next. So it’s a joy to be putting his crumpled jacket back on and seeing how life has panned out for him back in the UK.

“Working with Sally is a dream, and I can’t wait to continue Humphrey and Martha’s story and solve a few seemingly impossible mysteries along the way.”

Executive Producer for programme makers Red Planet Pictures, Tim Key said: “We always knew there were more Humphrey Goodman tales to be told and with the brilliant Tony Jordan leading the writing team, bringing all the Death in Paradise spirit, humour and joy to this brand new, original series, we can’t wait to get started.

“While Humphrey is used to contending with fiendishly clever puzzles, the biggest challenge of all is navigating his private life and finding out what happens beyond the ‘happy ever after’.

“We’re delighted to be working with Kris and Sally again and creating a little bit of Paradise in the UK.”

Tommy Bulfin, Commissioning Editor, BBC, Drama added: “We are delighted to welcome fan-favourite DI Humphrey Goodman back to the BBC.

“Luckily for us, his knack for cracking the trickiest crimes is as much needed in rural England as it was on the sun-kissed shores of the Caribbean. We cannot wait to see what he and Martha get up to next.”

Beyond Paradise will air on BBC One in the UK and BritBox internationally.