Friday sees the start of Return to Paradise, which features a new character DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson), although a familiar face may be making a cameo appearance

Death in Paradise is undoubtedly one of the BBC’s biggest hits. Not only is the Caribbean-based detective drama still going strong after 13 years (we’ll soon be getting a Christmas special featuring new leading man Don Gilet, followed by a full series in 2025), but it’s also given us two spin-offs.

Beyond Paradise began airing in 2023 and follows former Death in Paradise favourite Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) as he solves crimes in the picturesque but less sunny climes of Devon.

And tonight sees the start of Return to Paradise, which features a new character DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson), although a familiar face may be making a cameo appearance…

Mackenzie is an Australian ex-pat who’s made a name for herself in the London Metropolitan Police Service, working under former Saint Marie resident, Detective Inspector Jack Mooney (Ardal O’Hanlon).

However, when she’s accused of falsifying evidence, she reluctantly returns Down Under to join the police force in her hometown of Dolphin Cove.

Working with Mooney isn’t the only thing that links Mackenzie to the original series. Like DIs Richard Poole, Humphrey Goodman and Neville Parker before her, she feels like a fish out of water, even though she grew up there.

Leading lady Anna explains: “Mackenzie is forced to return to her childhood home, where she does not want to be. She battles against community, emotion, love, and friendship – all things that we as human beings need; but she thinks she doesn’t.

“So that’s where a lot of the drama and comedy comes from – and from her being placed back in the community that she left six years ago in quite extreme circumstances.”

Anna adds: “She left someone at the altar. It’s no small thing to have to return to that, and she brings home with her a great sense of guilt. She’s pushing against all the emotions that being back home brings up – old places, memories, and relationships. She’s trying to push them down, but they have a habit of coming back up, don’t they?”

However, while there may be similarities to the original series, the new detective drama will also have a character all of its own.

Anna says: “Return to Paradise is in the wheelhouse of Death in Paradise. It has to be because that show’s so fantastic, it is such a phenomenon. In a way, it’s quite overwhelming to step into those shoes. I think audiences can expect the spirit of what they love in Guadeloupe.

“But there’s something about the Australian way of life, accent and landscape that is so different and informs the story. So, there are a lot of differences too. One is that I’m a woman, but there’s the cheek and a charm of the original that I really hope we’ve captured.”

Then there’s the mystery element, as in the opening episode, a body washes ashore in the middle of a surf carnival, and Mackenzie realises she’s going to need the help of the local community to get to the bottom of it. The only problem is most of the residents seem to hate her…