Death in Paradise

Beyond Paradise will follow the lives of Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) as they begin a new life together in charming, rural southwest England. 

Eager to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, Humphrey takes on the job of Detective Inspector in Martha’s childhood hometown. 

However, the couple soon discover that country life isn’t so quiet, with the town’s surprisingly high crime rate leading to Humphrey tackling a new and challenging case each week. 

The endearingly awkward DI Humphrey was a fan-favourite, and he led the island’s force in solving some of their most puzzling cases.

But when he met island tourist Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton), he fell hopelessly in love and decided to follow her back to the UK.

Beyond Paradise will reunite Marshall and Bretton as Humphrey and Martha and re-join them living a new life together in rural Britain.

Seeking quiet idyll, Humphrey takes a job as Detective Inspector in Martha’s hometown, but they soon find that country life is anything but peaceful.

The BBC One crime drama set on the fictional island of Saint Marie will deal with the fallout of the shock twist dropped on Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington) at the end of series 11.

In the feature length Christmas special, the gang will need to work together to handle a complex case.

Series 12 may see the addition of a mystery daughter for Commissioner Patterson, as well as the usual capers and whodunnits.

The tenth series will start this month, which was filmed during the pandemic with just a three-month delay in production. 

Set on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the next two series will welcome back cast regulars and introduce new faces to Saint Marie.

The crime drama will continue to feature perplexing and mysterious murders and puzzles, with plenty of surprises in store for viewers. 

Executive producer Tim Key, promised that the next two series will keep viewers “on their toes.”

This is the fourth version of this piece that I’ve written. I scrapped the previous three as “the news” made them immediately out of date. I’m going to plough on with this one, although I fear that, by the time it is published, it will be entirely irrele­vant thanks to world events, but hey ho. Like everyone, I’m resigned to the fact that there’s no way of predicting anything this year…

Writers are invited to submit a spec script and the prize winner will receive a script commission and development opportunities with ITV.

The competition, which first launched in 2007, is designed to find the next generation of writing talent and entrants are asked to “think big, think bold, think how they can make their ideas stand out in a competitive marketplace.”

Ardal O’Hanlon will be back in 2019 as happy-go-lucky detective DI Mooney in the programme, currently airing its seventh series on BBC One.

O’Hanlon joined the show in 2017, replacing Kris Marshall who had played DI Humphrey Goodman for three series.

Set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint-Marie, DI Mooney heads up a team of detectives solving murder mysteries among the idyllic beaches and lush forests of the Caribbean.

Christmas Day

• Doctor Who - 5.30pm, BBC One
• Victoria - 9pm, ITV 
• The Great Christmas Bake Off - 7.40pm, Channel 4 
• First Dates at Christmas - 9pm, Channel 4

The comedy-infused drama has been one of the network's most viewed shows since it first aired in 2011. Kris Marshall stars as the out-of-place DI Humphrey Goodman working on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie alongside the cheerful local officers.