Beyond Paradise's Sally Bretton has opened up about season three's health scare storyline that is set to unsettle her character.
Martha's mother Anne (Barbara Flynn) faces some issues with her health in the latest season of the Death in Paradise spin-off and the news will impact Bretton's character in a profound way.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Bretton said: "It brings up all the history because when we joined the series, Martha's father had died fairly recently in the year preceding, and I think it reignites that grief a little bit, especially for Anne."
She went on to share Martha's feelings about Anne's ordeal, explaining that her mother's health scare is set to trigger a "real fear" in Martha.
"[It's like] you're about to cross into a completely different world," Bretton said, breaking down Martha's senses of uncertainty and insecurity. "Where is it going to go? It's your last remaining parent. [It's like] 'where are we? Where's the ground?' So there's a bit of that that goes on that brings all that back in."
Flynn also teased how her journey will affect Anne this season. "[Anne plays] it down because her [daughter's business has] just moved premises and she's starting out on another branch of trying to create a family and so Anne would play it down."
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"There is a distancing that might occur," Flynn elaborated. "It's a different stage of her relationship with her only beloved child who she's been very, very close to. This season it's sometimes uncomfortable, but interesting, to watch the slight distancing that happens because of the situation."
Flynn hinted at a new bond forming between Anne and Esther's (Zahra Ahmadi) daughter Zoe (Melina Sinadinou). "It's rather lovely because it brings in her quasi granddaughter, the Zoe character.
"It's a lovely relationship, a granny and a granddaughter, that sort of age difference. It's a lovely thing."
She continued: "The wonderful thing about the series is it actually brings every day troubles and problems that we all have, and puts it in people's sitting rooms in such a very, very confident and kind way. So that people of all ages, who are all represented in the series, can talk about it.
"I think people feel safe watching the series, and enjoy it."
Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise both air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
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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.
