The Paraverse fans were treated to an extra special Christmas treat when Death in Paradise’s Commissioner Selwyn (Don Warrington) not only popped up in the Beyond Paradise Christmas special, but was also Best Man to Humphrey (Kris Marshall) at his secret wedding to Martha (Sally Bretton).
It was a moment that held more meaning than can be gleaned on the surface, cementing something special for the steady-ish romance between the pair.
But special guest Selwyn’s time at their celebrations was interrupted when the Commissioner received an urgent call all the way from Saint Marie. Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) was in desperate need of some help on a case…
Selwyn had to hop-skip over to Swindon to do some on-the-ground detective work for the London-leg of the investigation, arriving there on Christmas eve. However, isn’t that when Humphrey and Martha’s wedding took place? And if they got hitched after 5pm, as was explicitly stated in the episode, how could Selwyn have arrived in Swindon on Christmas Eve during the day?
BBC
The answer is, he couldn’t have. (Feels a little bit like a Death in Paradise mystery, minus the actual death).
While there were big bold letters reading ‘Christmas Eve’ on the screen accompanying Selwyn’s arrival in Swindon, giving us concrete confirmation of the date, Beyond Paradise’s Christmas special doesn’t actually state what day it is.
BBC
Related: The best Christmas TV of 2025
It could easily have been assumed that Martha and Humphrey got married on Christmas Eve because of the frequent wishes of a “Merry Christmas” across the episode, giving us the impression that the day was only hours away.
Viewers could have deduced that the episode couldn’t actually have been set on Christmas Day, because of the events surrounding their wedding. Businesses were open, no one made reference to Christmas Day activities, or missing Christmas in lieu of solving the case, so the most natural thing would be to assume that they got hitched a day before.
However, despite all the heavy talk of Christmas, there is absolutely no way Selwyn could have made it from Devon to Swindon while it was still bright outside, given the distance (roughly 127 miles). This means that the wedded pair must have become Mr and Mrs Goodman a few days before.
BBC
Related: The best movies on BBC, ITV and more this Christmas
There’s an argument for the wedding taking place on the 21 December (the same day the episode dropped for us viewers). But, given the urgency of Mervin’s case, it’s more than likely that Selwyn would have had to travel to Swindon the next day, which means Martha and Humphrey could just have easily become husband and wife on Christmas Eve Eve.
In short, we will never know for sure, unless Beyond Paradise reveals the information in later episodes.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait until next Christmas special, for their anniversary, to find out.
Beyond Paradise, Death in Paradise and Return to Paradise all air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
Read more Beyond Paradise news on our dedicated homepage
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating music icon Dolly Parton, is here! Buy Dolly at 80 in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. Â For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. Â She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
Â