Death in Devon
He might have swapped the Caribbean for sleepy devon but the lack of sunshine won’t stop di humphrey goodman from solving crimes and putting criminals behind bars.
Humphrey and his team – DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), PC Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn) and Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu) – all return for the second series of Beyond Paradise, with plenty more baffling crimes to solve.
“The show seems more confident,” said Kris Marshall, who plays the lead detective. “The crimes are bigger and better and that runs throughout the whole series.
“I was thrilled we did so well last year – we were the BBC’s biggest new drama. Because of that, we’ve been given a bit more free rein this time.”
The six-part series kicks off with a murder on a steam train and even Margo was allowed out of the office for once.
“It was lovely for Margo – I know realistically she can’t always go but it was a nice outing,” laughed Felicity. “It’s funny because I’ve never worked in an office. I’ve done cleaning, teaching, been a waitress – one thing I’ve never done is work in an office. That was an away day for Margo and me, it was very exciting.”
“That feels like a lifetime ago,” added Zahra. “We filmed that in the beginning of July last year.”
With Margo in the amateur dramatics society, the team get involved with a Murder On The Orient Express-type dilemma when one of the actors is found dead on the train. But Zahra reveals that Esther has no doubt any more about Humphrey’s abilities as a detective.
“For Esther, it was always about acceptance,” explained Zahra. “She’s always said Humphrey is a brilliant detective, she just had to get over those little idiosyncrasies that she couldn’t bear and drove her mad. So Esther’s learned to accept him. I don’t know if she’d ever admit it or say it out loud, but she really likes him – I think she has a soft spot for him.”
The last series saw a problem arise for Humphrey and his fiancée Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) as they struggled to conceive. However, the pair reconciled in the final episode and hope to take a step forward in the process of beginning a family.
“Humphrey and Martha are much more settled and find themselves going
The crimes are bigger and better in the second series of the Death In Paradise spin-off, says Kris Marshall
down a path I don’t think they’d really considered, which is the idea of fostering,” said Sally. “The ‘typical’ family thing didn’t work out for them and we watched that journey happen.
“At the end of the series, they did wonder if they could be a family, just the two of them, because they are happy and warm and loving. And now there’s an opportunity to look after children who need that environment and they start tiptoeing towards it and seeing what that brings. It’s a new world for them but they enjoy looking into it.”
Speaking of family, Martha’s mother, Anne, has downloaded dating apps as she looks for a new man. Actress Barbara Flynn, who plays Anne, couldn’t be happier.
“It was enormous fun, I enjoyed it and embraced it,” she said. “I feel blessed because I feel like this story is a bit left-field, it’s amusing – and all of us at every age have learning curves.
“It’s quite something for her to get back on the horse as it were. To be able to meet someone would be quite a triumph. She’s met with an enormous amount of love from Martha, as well as trepidation — to let Anne loose anywhere is risky business.”
While it might not be the Caribbean, the cast make the most of being in the beautiful south-west and say the locals love having them around – for the most part.
“We get to know the locals and their
extensive family,” said Felicity. “It’s quite extraordinary. There’s a bit of moaning sometimes. But I think generally speaking, they’re happy.
“I mean, I went to the fishmonger’s while we were filming and he said, ‘Can you personally thank the producers because our business has escalated.’ And I’m thrilled that’s happened.
“It helps when we have a few sunny days,” she added. “I love to swim in the sea at Looe [one of the locations].” “I only swim in the Mediterranean,” laughed Zahra. “But loads of the crew and the cast are sea-swimming, even outside of summer.” Spilling the show’s secrets, Kris revealed that fictional town Shipton Abbott, while said to be in Devon, is actually set in Cornwall. “We film on both sides of the River Tamar,” he said. “I’m from the south west so I’m biased but I think it’s one of the best places on Earth.”
There’s a bit of moaning but I think the locals are happy