Return to Paradise lead Anna Samson says Ardal O'Hanlon's Death in Paradise cameo was "important" for the show.
During an interview with Digital Spy and other journalists, the actress who plays DI Mackenzie Clarke said:
"I think it's important that [Return to Paradise] is not a carbon copy, but that we acknowledge where we've come from and all the joy and fan base that's in the original. I think both are equally as important, and he does a big part of that."
O'Hanlon reprised the role of Detective Jack Mooney in the show's debut episode but was not in Australia with the rest of the cast. Instead, O'Hanlon's Mooney was based in London and communicated remotely with Mackenzie, who fled to Australia after being accused of tampering with evidence.
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"Ardal O'Hanlon plays my boss at the Metropolitan Police back home in London," Samson explained. "Because Mackenzie's run away with a potential wrongdoing there, she's constantly trying to get in contact with Mooney to figure out what's going on. He's also a character that she loves."
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She went on to say: "She doesn't have a lot of people that she really cares for, or many friends, but he is one of them and you can tell that, just with a few scenes that we have which are on the phone."
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Reflecting on their joint scenes, Samson admitted: I never got to meet Ardal. He did all his scenes [in London], and I did all of them [in Australia], and we were on the phone but... seeing him pop up on screen and you see the, you see the skyline of London city, I think that's a really lovely treat [for fans]."
O'Hanlon's Mooney left the show in January 2020 and returned to London to be with his daughter Siobhan (Grace Stone) instead of going off to make things work with his love interest Anna (Nina Wadia). Mooney was replaced by Ralf Little's Neville Parker, who exited the show earlier this year.
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"People who have watched Death of Paradise and are fans of the franchise – when they see the fact that Jack's there, they'll lose their tiny, little minds," Samson's co-star Lloyd Griffith said.
"It's great. I think having elements like that just really anchors it home and I think it'll make people love it more."
Return to Paradise debuts on November 22 on BBC One. Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise both air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
Read more Beyond Paradise news on our dedicated homepage
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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. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. 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.
