Kris Marshall to return to 'Death In Paradise' character for spin-off series

Kris Marshall is set to reprise his Death In Paradise role as DI Humphrey Goodman — but he'll be swapping the shores of the Caribbean for the English countryside in the new spin-off series.

My Family star Marshall played the lead role of Saint Marie's detective from series three to six, taking over from original lead Ben Miller and being succeeded by Ardal O'Hanlon.

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His character Humphrey decided to leave crime fighting on the fictional island in 2017 when he fell in love with tourist Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) and chose to go back to the UK with her.

New series Beyond Paradise will pick up their story again as Humphrey adjusts to life in rural England and finds it isn't quite the quiet, crime-free idyll he was expecting.

Marshall said: “I had the best time playing Humphrey out in Guadeloupe and whilst I was delighted that he got his happy ending with Martha, I always wanted to know what happened next. So it’s a joy to be putting his crumpled jacket back on and seeing how life has panned out for him back in the UK.

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"Working with Sally is a dream, and I can’t wait to continue Humphrey and Martha’s story and solve a few seemingly impossible mysteries along the way.”

The couple will also be facing the challenge of what "happy ever after" looks like for them, as the holiday romance becomes real life.

Tommy Bulfin, commissioning editor at BBC Drama, said: “We are delighted to welcome fan-favourite DI Humphrey Goodman back to the BBC. Luckily for us, his knack for cracking the trickiest crimes is as much needed in rural England as it was on the sun-kissed shores of the Caribbean. We cannot wait to see what he and Martha get up to next.”

Beyond Paradise is set to air on the BBC, as well as on BritBox for Death In Paradise's international fans, and is due to begin filming on location later this year.

Ralf Little continues in the current lead role for Death In Paradise, which will air a Christmas special for 2022.

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