{"id":516523,"date":"2026-04-06T21:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/516523\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:23:15","slug":"beyond-paradise-star-shares-what-is-was-like-working-with-gavin-stacey-icon-in-season-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/516523\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Paradise star shares what is was like working with Gavin & Stacey icon in season 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beyond Paradise star Zahra Ahmadi has spoken about her experience of working with Gavin & Stacey’s Melanie Walters. Season four of the Death in Paradise spin-off welcomes a whole new crop of guest stars including Walters, who is famously known for her role as Gwen West in the hit, long-running ’00s sitcom.<\/p>\n

“She was just wonderful,” Ahmadi told Digital Spy during an exclusive interview. “I love Gavin & Stacey, and she is such a warm, lovely person. I really enjoyed the episode I did with her.” <\/p>\n

Ahmadi was also excited to be reunited with Gina Bramhill, stating: “We worked together only on a short job a few years back and I think she’s fab, so that was really lovely.” She appears alongside recurring cast members Eva Feiler (who plays Lucy Thompson) and Phil Daniels (Marvelous Harris), too.
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BBC<\/p>\n

Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 \u2013 including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, padding up the roster of guest stars this season are Tristan Sturrock (Poldark), Michael Cochrane (The Archers), Susan George (Straw Dogs), Susan Penhaligon (A Fine Romance), Vincent Franklin (The War Between the Land and the Sea), Narinder Samra (Ackley Bridge), Alex Macqueen (The Inbetweeners), Colin McFarlane (The War Between the Land and the Sea), Emily Stott (Riot Women), James Clay (MobLand) and Kenneth Collard (Cuckoo).<\/p>\n

Beyond Paradise’s fourth outing sees tensions rise in the Shipton Abbott police station now that DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) has been tasked with firing one of the team, following a directive to downsize. On top of job security worries, Ahmadi teases a difficult personal journey for Esther. <\/p>\n

“Her emotional journey this season [is] quite a confronting one actually,” Ahmadi told Digital Spy. “She’s having to be really honest with herself, I think, for the first time that we’ve ever really seen throughout the series. She’s having to reflect on certain things and wonder whether she made the right decision.” <\/p>\n

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BBC<\/p>\n

She added: “In this series, Zoe (Melina Sinadinou) really grows up. It’s sort of ‘fly the nest’ time, almost, and that’s very confronting emotionally for Esther. And I think that is what triggers her reflection on other aspects of her life as well. So yeah, it’s quite a tough one for her, and she’s quite vulnerable in this series, I think.” (Read more on Esther’s season four narrative arc here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the show’s evolution across the four seasons, Ahmadi noted: “It’s just evolved, and it’s stayed true to itself. I don’t think it’s lost sight of what it was and what it intended to be.”<\/p>\n

\"sally<\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Related: “Unreasonably enjoyable”: 10 high-stakes revenge dramas on BBC, ITV, Netflix and more<\/a><\/p>\n

She continued: “It’s listened to the audience. It’s been a really organic process; now it’s just a fuller version of how it started out, and I think it started out just great. <\/p>\n

“It’s like when you make a stew or a curry or something, and it’s great when you’ve just made it. And then the next day you have it, and it’s a little bit better. And then two or three days after that, those flavours develop and there’s a richness and there’s a fullness to it.<\/p>\n

“That’s where I feel we’re at with series four. I really feel it’s marinating.”<\/p>\n

Beyond Paradise, Death in Paradise and Return to Paradise air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n

Read more Beyond Paradise news on our dedicated homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

The new edition of Living Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Harry Styles, is here! Buy Harry Styles in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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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. \u00a0For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute<\/a> eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. \u00a0She 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<\/a> 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<\/a>.
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