A new TV series starting on BBC One tomorrow (Friday Feb 24), may well change the fortunes of a small Cornwall town struggling, like much of the country, with the repercussions of the cost-of-living crisis. The people of Looe are certainly hoping that the 'Doc Martin effect' — which turned Port Isaac in the north of the county a must-visit location — will visit its magic on their coastal idyll after Beyond Paradise is broadcast.
The spin-off of Death in Paradise moves the action from the fictional Caribbean island of Saint-Marie (in reality, Guadeloupe) to the fictional Devon seaside town of Shipton Abbot, which is actually the very real Cornish town of Looe, according to an article published on Cornwall Live.
Actor Kris Marshall reprises his role of DI Humphrey Goodman for the highly-anticipated series, which was filmed in and around Looe last September. The cast also includes Sally Bretton (Not Going Out, The Office, Death in Paradise), Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls, Big Boys), Zahra Ahmadi (EastEnders, Doctor Who), Felicity Montagu (Alan Partridge) and Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia) as well as Cornwall-based actors such as John Macneill, Stacey Guthrie and Edward 'Kernow King' Rowe.
Cornwall Live sent a reporter to Looe this week to gauge residents' feelings about being thrust into the limelight, albeit under a different name, and also how they felt about it being moved along the coast a bit and relocated as part of Devon.
Most of the people spoken to were positive, although there were some murmurings of "Port Isaac people don't like being invaded all the time and nor will we" and "financially it may do us good, but what about socially?" — but on the whole locals felt it could be Looe's moment to shine.
The hope was that the show would entice people to explore the town out of season as it rarely needs much help in the summer. In winter many shops and businesses stay closed until until late February or early March.
Juliet Dawn, Quirky Vintage
Juliet's colourful vintage fashion shop features prominently in the new series. It stands in Looe's Rose Garden, which is used as the setting for the police station and farmers' market in Beyond Paradise.
The Quirky shop front was allowed to stay on camera as it does not say Looe on it or feature a local phone number.
She said: "They did two lots of filming of three days each - they even painted the wall opposite my shop blue. It started raining so at one point I had about 30 cast and crew in here." Yes, she did a get a selfie with Kris Marshall, who everyone in Looe appeared to love.
"I hope it has the Doc Martin effect in Looe - no one wants to turn tourists away," she said. "It can only be a good thing if it attracts more people to the town and, actually, Looe has got a bit more going for it than Port Isaac — we have a good retail sector, lots of restaurants, fishing trips; Looe has a lot going for it." She said it could also lead to more interest in house purchases too.
Juliet said her shop was "intrinsic" to the drama as it was based next to the police station, and she was hoping to land a role in the show if another series is commissioned. The trained actor and singer added: "It would be wonderful to get a role in it, even if it's a walk-on part. It would definitely secure the business in these difficult economic times."
Jemma Hackett and distiller Rob Johnston, Copperfish
The distillery makes moonshine, gin and rum with a shop on the premises in the heart of the town. Jemma said: "Anything that brings people in has to be good. People moan about tourism but half the businesses in Looe rely on it. Last summer was manageable but the previous two years during Covid were chaotic.
"Hopefully the series will attract people to Looe out of season. Personally, I like exploring other places in March or October." Rob added: "I can't really comment because I don't watch television, but I think this will be good for Looe."
Robyn Smith, Lottie Loves
Robyn studied tourism as part of her geography degree and currently works in the women's clothes shop on Fore Street. She said: "It will be good for Looe — people will see it on television and say 'I've been there!' and 'that's my house!'. Older residents might not like it as much though — financially it may do us good, but what about socially?"
"People were visiting from all over to watch them filming and to see Kris Marshall. My brother got a selfie with him. People love him!"
Lucy Taylor, Sarah's Pasties
Lucy's already had a taste of the Beyond Paradise effect, having appeared on The One Show. Her mother Sarah Alberry started the popular Cornish pasty shop 35 years ago.
She said: "We're really happy about it. There's a nice buzz in town at the moment and I think it will bring more people to Looe — people who may not have visited before and others who might decide to come back after seeing it.
"We coped with the influx of people during Covid, so we can cope with anyone who visits after watching Beyond Paradise."
Tristan Gillett and Tom Shingler, RNLI fundraisers
Tristan and Tom are local lads who help raise funds for the local RNLI station on the waterfront. They hope the show will attract people to Looe at different times of the year.
"People visit Port Isaac from as far way as America, so hopefully this show will have a similar effect for Looe. It gets really busy in the summer here anyway, so we could do with more people visiting out of season. So many businesses are closed on Mondays here, it can be very hit and miss, so hopefully Beyond Paradise may change that."
Callum Pearn and Emma Hewitt, The Old Mill Gift Centre
Callum is from the third generation to run the quirky gift centre, as well as running doughnut and waffle kiosks in town. "We don't open in January, so Beyond Paradise could be good for getting people here at the quiet times of the year," he said.
Emma, who works in the shop, added: "Having seen the trailer, it definitely shows off Looe in a good light. Everyone here is used to closing in the winter, so it would be nice if it meant we had trade all year round."
The first episode of Beyond Paradise screens on BBC One on Friday, February 24 at 8pm and will be available on BBC iPlayer.
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