Beyond Paradise follows Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman who, after leaving the Caribbean island of Saint Marie, relocates to the fictional coastal town of Shipton Abbott in Devon to be with his fiancée Martha Lloyd. Hoping for a quieter life, Humphrey joins the small local police force but quickly discovers that his new hometown has a surprisingly high murder rate, bringing his unique brand of chaotic genius and outside-the-box thinking to a close-knit community as Martha pursues her dream of running her own restaurant.
Beyond Paradise is a British crime drama television series that premiered on BBC One on 24 February 2023 as a spin-off of the hugely successful Death in Paradise. Commissioned by the BBC on 29 June 2022, the series stars Kris Marshall reprising his beloved role as the bumbling yet brilliant Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, alongside Sally Bretton as his fiancée Martha Lloyd. The show has proven immensely popular, with its first episode becoming the UK’s most-watched new drama of 2023, launching to a massive 8.7 million viewers and prompting swift renewals for multiple series and Christmas specials.
The series picks up the story of Humphrey Goodman several years after he left Saint Marie at the end of Death in Paradise Series 6. Having returned to London and declared his intention to be with Martha, the couple are now engaged and relocating to Martha’s hometown of Shipton Abbott, a picturesque fictional town near the beautiful Devonshire coast. As they embark on their new life together, both face significant changes: Martha sets out to pursue her dream of running her own restaurant, Ten Mile Kitchen, while Humphrey joins the local police force hoping for a peaceful, crime-free existence after years of solving murders in the Caribbean.
Naturally, for a detective of Humphrey’s calibre, peace proves elusive. Despite Shipton Abbott’s sleepy coastal appearance, the town suffers from an improbably high murder rate, ensuring that Humphrey’s investigative skills remain very much in demand. On the surface, Humphrey is everything a detective should not be—easily distracted, totally disorganised, socially awkward, and prone to putting his foot in it at the worst possible moments. He leaves what colleagues affectionately call “a mini tidal wave of madness” wherever he goes, causing chaos to ripple through the previously quiet village. Yet beneath the shambling exterior lies an incredibly sharp mind with a talent for outside-the-box thinking and a unique perspective that allows him to spot connections and clues others miss entirely.
Humphrey quickly makes an impression on the small, eclectic local police team at Shipton Abbott station. His colleagues include Detective Sergeant Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), a capable and level-headed officer who serves as Humphrey’s right hand; PC Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn), an eager young constable; and office support worker Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu), who keeps the station running. The team operates under the oversight of CS Charlie Woods (Jade Harrison). Supporting characters include Martha’s mother Anne Lloyd (Barbara Flynn), with whom the couple initially live, creating certain domestic challenges, and various village residents who become entangled in the mysteries.
Beyond Paradise distinguishes itself from its parent series through its focus on Humphrey and Martha’s relationship and their integration into community life. The show explores their engagement, wedding planning (which doesn’t go smoothly), struggles with IVF treatment, Martha’s heartbreaking miscarriage, and eventually their decision to become foster parents to young Rosie. These ongoing personal storylines provide emotional depth and character development beyond the case-of-the-week format, though some viewers have found the relationship drama occasionally overwhelms the lighter detective elements that made the show appealing.
The crimes Humphrey investigates maintain the quirky, inventive quality Death in Paradise fans expect—chocolate box poisonings, sailing regatta betrayals, farming feuds, mysterious figures dressed as legendary creatures, and murders during village festivals. However, Beyond Paradise tends to be slightly less violent than its parent show, balancing cosy crime mysteries with the picturesque coastal setting and community dynamics. The solutions still rely on Humphrey’s ability to notice small details that hold deep insights, bringing together seemingly unconnected clues through lateral thinking and his profound understanding of human nature.
Although the fictional town of Shipton Abbott is set in South Devon, filming actually takes place primarily in South East Cornwall, specifically in the charming village of Looe. Producers deliberately chose Cornwall over Devon locations because it was less crowded during the high filming season, though the cast still attract enthusiastic crowds of fans watching filming. The Guildhall in Looe doubles as Shipton Abbott police station, while Fore Street serves as the market square. Additional locations include the University of Plymouth’s Portland Square and Nancy Astor buildings (serving as South West Police Headquarters), and Anne Lloyd’s house and the houseboat scenes filmed at Pentillie Castle and Estate on the River Tamar north of Plymouth.
The series draws on the same successful formula as Death in Paradise—picturesque coastal setting, quirky murders, charming characters, and light comedy mixed with genuine mystery—but relocates the action to England’s beautiful West Country. As producers noted, they felt Devon had not been used very often in TV drama, providing fresh visual appeal. The fictional town is set slightly back from the coast to allow different storylines to develop beyond purely beach-based narratives, creating a versatile setting that can accommodate various plot types.
The show has been praised by critics, with The Telegraph’s Michael Hogan awarding it four stars out of five and proclaiming it “superior to its mothership show” and “charming, cheerful and just gripping enough, it was the cosy crime treat we didn’t know we needed.” The series successfully capitalises on Kris Marshall’s endearing portrayal of Humphrey Goodman, a character who proved one of the most popular detectives across Death in Paradise’s long run. Fans particularly appreciate that Beyond Paradise maintains Humphrey’s essential character traits, even including callbacks to the original series that reward longtime viewers.
The show’s success has been remarkable. Following the initial six-episode first series in early 2023, the BBC renewed it for a Christmas special (aired 24 December 2023) and a second six-episode series (March-April 2024). A third series premiered in March 2025, preceded by another Christmas special in December 2024. In July 2025, filming commenced on a fourth series, with another Christmas special following in December 2025, demonstrating the BBC’s confidence in the show’s enduring popularity.
Beyond Paradise joins an expanding “Paraverse” that includes Death in Paradise (now in its fifteenth series) and another spin-off, Return to Paradise, set in Australia. The three shows share a common DNA—beautiful coastal settings, quirky detectives, gentle humour, and inventive murders—while each maintains its own distinct character and appeal. For Beyond Paradise, that appeal lies in bringing the warmth and whimsy of tropical crime-solving home to England’s equally picturesque (if considerably cooler) coastline, proving that you don’t need Caribbean sunshine to create compelling cosy crime drama—just a loveable detective, a charming setting, and murders strange enough to keep audiences guessing while gentle enough to watch with the whole family on a Friday evening.
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