Death in Paradise, the BBC crime drama set against a sunny Caribbean backdrop, is set to return to our screens on January 7, 2021, with some familiar faces also returning to help celebrate the show's 10th anniversary (yes we really have all been dancing along to the title sequence for that long).
Original detective DI Richard Poole (played by Ben Miller) was killed off at the beginning of the third series, but will have a cameo appearance in the new series, alongside his original sidekick DS Camille Bordey (Sara Martins) and her subsequent replacement after season four DS Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert).
In conversation with Digital Spy and other media, executive producer Tim Key has spoken about the return of the original fan favourite characters, saying that both Miller and Martins were very keen to reprise their roles.
Related: Death in Paradise's Ben Miller says watching his death back was "weird and disturbing"
"Both of them agreed very, very quickly. I think both felt they had some unfinished business with the show and both sort of wanted to be part of our 10th year."
Speaking of Martins' return, he explained that she is in a "two-part story" that is "tied into her mother [Catherine], played by Elizabeth Bourgine" and that it was emotional to see the two actresses working together once more.
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"It was just great to see those two acting together again. It's incredibly moving."
Unfortunately, Key would not elaborate on Miller's cameo, admitting there's "not a lot I can say" without spoiling the plot. "I'm so happy that he said yes, I'm so happy we made it work because schedules were very difficult.
Related: Death in Paradise responds to whether Kris Marshall or Danny John-Jules could return
"I think if you watched the show at the start, you'll be very pleased. It's a cameo, but it's incredibly impactful. And I'm really, really, really happy with it.
"It's really good for the, sort of, long term fans of the show, I think it does everything we want it to do... It celebrates the past, but it also drives the show forward as well."
Death in Paradise series 10 premieres on Thursday, January 7, 2021, airing on BBC One.
Death in Paradise
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Hannah Bird is a freelance sub-editor with over 10 years of experience in content creation and editorial across digital and print media.
Beginning as a Lifestyle and Travel Editor, Hannah's expertise has since spanned entertainment, health, wellness and science, developing a keen eye for copy editing. Bringing her research skills as an Earth Science academic, Hannah enjoys thoroughly delving into topics to explore new angles and offer fresh stories to readers, as well as priding herself on the content's accuracy.
Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
