It’s a good week if you’re a fan of the “global smash-hit” Death in Paradise universe, as spin-off series Beyond Paradise returns tonight with its fourth season. And in an extra bit of good news, fellow spin-off Return to Paradise has gotten a big update.
The detective drama takes place in Australia as opposed to The Caribbean and the UK, with the action focusing on Mackenzie “Mack” Clarke (Anna Samson) as she solves a variety of crimes down under.
After premiering in 2024 and airing its follow-up last year, fans have eagerly been awaiting news on the third season, and we now have an update after the BBC confirmed that filming was now under way.
John Platt//BBC
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“DS Mackenzie Clarke is back, fresh from having wrecked another of Glenn’s weddings and determined never to follow her heart again. But ignoring her heart won’t be easy,” reads the logline.
“The arrival of her force-of-nature mother Jillian puts Mack’s mettle to the ultimate test and there’s something undeniable about the raffish charm of the new pathologist Leo,” it continues, with Tai Hara’s Glenn seemingly going away to “find himself”.
“While Dolphin Cove may still look like paradise, it continues to serve up a steady stream of baffling murder mysteries… Mack will solve it all with her usual brilliance, and the off-beat help of her loyal team.”
In addition to Samson and Hara, Lloyd Griffith, Catherine McClements, Celia Ireland and Aaron McGrath will all be reprising their respective roles, while the new cast members include Mark Lee, Tina Bursill and Anthony Hayes.
Billed as “compelling and entertaining”, the third season will consist of six episodes like its predecessors. There is no exact release date, but it has been confirmed that the series will air later this year.
The news comes amid the return of Beyond Paradise, which airs the premiere episode of its fourth season tonight. The action will once again focus on Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton), who are based in Devon.
BBC
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One notable aspect of the detective drama has been Humphrey and Martha’s fostering journey, but Marshall explained that this arc wouldn’t be a major factor in the upcoming batch of episodes.
“[Their] fostering journey is very much on the back burner,” he exclusively told Digital Spy. “They made a decision in season three, after Rosie left, to have a break. It doesn’t really feature in season four.”
Beyond Paradise, Death in Paradise and Return to Paradise air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
Read more Beyond Paradise news on our dedicated homepage
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. Â His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
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