Stage set for murder

DEATH IN PARADISE

THIS ratings hit always begins with a party or celebration – some scene of unbridled joy as we wonder who will be the next person to snuff it on the Caribbean island.

This time, everyone is dancing away at a reggae concert, as local band Leon and the Ragers get together for the first time in 30 years.

“It’s like when Pink Floyd reunited!” says DI Jack Mooney (Ardal O’hanlon), in an exclamation of wild exaggeration.

But when the band leave the stage, lead guitarist Billy Springer (Levi Roots) seems a bit quiet and unhappy. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he reassures his son. Which means it certainly WON’T be.

Five minutes later and Billy is discovered dead in his dressing room. The door was locked from the inside and he’s holding a gun, which points to suicide. But then there’s the curious incident of the rusty fork on the dressing room floor.

As ever, every clue and plot development is explained to death – pardon the pun – just in case we don’t get it.

And despite the fact there is a murderer on the loose, this series always manages to be a surprisingly jolly affair. Perhaps it’s the gentle lapping of the ocean and palm treelined beaches, or maybe it’s the fact the detectives are wearing bright floral shirts.

And then, of course, there’s the big reveal at the end, when Jack explains who the killer is with a grand flourish.

It’s formulaic, sure, but as this run concludes, you’ll be pleased to hear that an eighth series is already in the works.

LAST CHORD Jack and Florence (above) investigate the death of local guitarist Billy