The Beyond Paradise Christmas special 2024 will see DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) back on the case for some festive mysteries in Shipton Abbott.
Yes, it really is getting rather crowded in the so-called "Paraverse" with the Aussie spin-off Return to Paradise currently airing on BBC One, while the Death in Paradise Christmas special 2024 has already aired with Don Gilet making his debut as the new lead detective.
Plus there's also a new series of Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise to look forward to in 2025. And possibly a second series of Return to Paradise assuming it goes well and gets recommissioned.
The Christmas episode sees Humphrey and Esther try to unravel whether a widower's ghostly visions are a manifestation of grief or something more sinister.
Kris tells us about the ghostly plot: "Humphrey doesn't rule anything out, but he's always up for a challenge. He loves unusual cases — anything out of the ordinary, whether it's ghosts or just something strange. He enjoys getting stuck into these mysteries and picking them apart. As a policeman, he's naturally skeptical and doesn't believe in coincidences. But for him, the thrill comes from unraveling the mystery, which is what gets him excited about the job."
Here's everything we know about the Beyond Paradise Christmas special 2024…
Beyond Paradise Christmas special 2024 release date
The Beyond Paradise Christmas special 2024 will air on BBC One on Friday, December 27 at 9.00 pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer, where you can catch up on past series.
We have a Christmas TV guide with all the big shows to look forward to this Christmas. It will be available on BritBox in the US on Christmas Day, 2024.
What's the plot?
Spoilers ahead if you've not finished watching Beyond Paradise season 2… so Humphrey and Martha (Sally Bretton) were meant to get married in the final episode of the series, but it all got a bit much and they didn't. So the Christmas special will hopefully move this plot along.
The BBC has now teased the plot saying: "When recently widowed Bob Holland (Mark Heap) is ordered to leave his home by a vision of his late wife Linda (Rosalind Adler), he is thrown into emotional turmoil, a vivid reminder of his harrowing grief. Deeply disturbed by this series of troubling events, he turns to his friend Anne (Barbara Flynn) for comfort, who shares his encounters with the Shipton Abbott police team. Unsure whether Bob's ghostly visions are a manifestation of grief or something more sinister, Humphrey and Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) get to work unravelling the mystery.
"Bob's daughter Fiona (Tamla Kari) and her husband, a maverick inventor Colin (Seann Walsh), appear stumped and concerned when deliberating who could be behind this ghostly apparition. Is Bob simply struggling with the pain of the first Christmas without his wife, or is there a darker force at play?
"Meanwhile, Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn) and Margo (Felicity Montagu) are on the case after a break-in at the church leaves the nativity scene incomplete. With the Christmas service fast approaching, and CS Charlie Woods (Jade Harrison) due to attend, can Kelby solve the mystery of the missing Virgin Mary and impress the Chief Superintendent?
"Away from the station, Humphrey and Martha's (Sally Bretton) fostering journey continues as they open their home to introverted teenager Jaiden (Austin Taylor) over the festive period. Struggling to connect, and with Humphrey otherwise occupied at work, Martha feels out of her depth. Can she overcome her self-doubt and find a way to bond with Jaiden? And will he open up and let her in before the holidays arrive?"
It will be interesting to see if there's any crossover with Return to Paradise. Perhaps Humphrey has an Aussie relative living in Dolphin Cove? With DI Jack Mooney turning up in Return to Paradise, there's been a crossover between Death in Paradise and the Aussie spin-off. DI Neville Parker turned up in Beyond Paradise when Humphrey went to Saint Marie. So surely it's time to join everything up with a Beyond Paradise/Return to Paradise crossover?
Beyond Paradise cast
Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton star again. Also in the cast are Zahra Ahmadi (The Bay, Tracey Ullman's Show, EastEnders) as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn (Big Boys, Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu (This Time with Alan Partridge, Landscapers, Vanity Fair) playing office support civilian, Margo Martins.
The guest stars include Mark Heap, Rosalind Adler, Tamla Kari and Seann Walsh.
Is there a trailer?
No, not yet.
Behind the scenes and more
Created by Robert Thorogood and Tony Jordan, Beyond Paradise is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International and is produced by Red Planet Pictures, part of the Asacha Media Group company, which was recently acquired by Fremantle. Tony Jordan, Tim Key and Belinda Campbell are executive producers for Red Planet Pictures, Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC and Robert Schildhouse and Stephen Nye for BritBox International. Lindsay Hughes is producer.
