As Death in Paradise concludes its 14th season in dramatic style, Beyond Paradise swoops in to rescue fans from a Paraverse-free existence – at least for the next six weeks.
The third season of the returning spin-off series kicks off as expected, with a mysterious murder.
When a body turns up in the river between the border of Devon and Cornwall, the authorities instantly assume it is a case of accidental drowning. By authorities, this time we are referring to the Cornwall police force and they soon begin tussling with Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) over jurisdiction.
But this is Beyond Paradise, which means something nefarious is definitely afoot and, naturally, Marshall's Humphrey is the one to sniff it out.
As debut episodes go, Beyond Paradise's third outing lacks the charisma and excitement of season two's entertaining first episode (although, in fairness, it's hard to top a murder-mystery inside a murder-mystery).
There is some intrigue from the fact that the latest murder case in Shipton Abbott is, as expected, implausible, so fans are again gifted a satisfying brain-teasing puzzle to work out. But there is also only one possible suspect. A shame, really.
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One thing that can be relied on, given the format of the show, is that there will be a murder. It follows then that the probable cause of death will not be accidental, despite it being the only alternative explanation that Beyond Paradise gives for this fatality.
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The absence of guessing who the murderer is saps some of the thrill from the viewing experience, making this case-of-the-week feel underwhelming.
Thankfully Esther and Humphrey do provide some entertainment in their handling of their Cornwall counterparts. Ahmadi's comedic skills peek through in Esther's frustrations, which are balanced by Humphrey's calm yet skilful path towards one-upmanship.
The fans are also reunited with their other favourites Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn) and Margo (Felicity Montagu), whose endearing and cheeky performances respectively round off the cast. Also present is the less favourable Archie (Jamie Bamber), Martha's (Sally Bretton) former fiancé, who makes a return.
The suave sommelier is quick to ruffle feathers, and his flirtatious nature has not tapered off despite his season-long hiatus. Still, despite this, the episode feels largely uneventful.
It would be tempting to assume the show is resting on its laurels by playing it too safe with its narrative, however, season three appears to be planting seeds for bigger stories with emotional pay-offs to come.
Martha's mother Anne (Barbara Flynn) is a prime example of that. The preview of episode two already hints that the suspicious events that occurred in the season debut will be built upon, and Archie's antics in the episode aren't set to be a one-off either.
It's also no secret that Humphrey and Martha will have some challenges this season, in terms of their fostering journey, as they welcome their first long-term placement, a nine year-old little girl.
Marshall and Bretton's formidable pairing are the heart of the show, so we expect it to be gratifying to watch them extend that shared love to a vulnerable child, with all the complications and tenderness that will bring.
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.
