The Death in Paradise Christmas special 2024 is extra exciting as it will be our first chance to see the new detective.
Following Ralf Little's departure as DI Neville Parker at the end of the latest series, Don Gilet was announced as his replacement.
Don's first case as Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson will feature in the Christmas special before he's seen in Death in Paradise season 14.
The plot sees Mervin investigate when three men, all unconnected apart from the fact that they're dressed as Santa Claus, are seemingly all shot with the exact same gun at the exact same time.
Don explains to us: "Three victims are shot at the same time, with the same gun, in three different places. That's irresistible to Mervin! He likes mysterious, mind-boggling things because they keep his brain active. But it's very frustrating when he gets to a point where he doesn't think he can crack it."
Here's everything we know so far…
Death in Paradise Christmas special 2024 release date
The Death in Paradise Christmas special 2024 will air on Sunday, December 22 at 8.30 pm on BBC One in a Christmas TV highlight. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
It will head to BritBox in the US on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2024. In Australia, the Death in Paradise Christmas special lands on Britbox on Monday, December 23.
Death in Paradise Christmas special 2024 plot
The feature-length case sees Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson arrive in Saint Marie and he's not impressed! "Everything in Saint Marie runs counter to how things are supposed to be done, as far as he's concerned," explains Don. "His approach is more suited to a London pace of life, but nobody, even back in London, works the way he does."
Shantol Jackson (Naomi) adds about the team's reaction to Mervin: "Their initial reaction to Mervin is not so great! He's quite blunt, impatient and not very kind. All the cons you can think of, he ticks those boxes. He has a particular way of working, and he's just trying to adjust to this pace. But, over time, the team appreciate his work method. We'll see if he grows to appreciate them, though!"
Teasing the plot of the Christmas special, the BBC says: "We're back on the beautiful island of Saint Marie, and this time with a new detective inspector in tow. Londoner Mervin Wilson ruffles some feathers as he clashes with the island's way of life. But he quickly sinks his teeth into one of the team's most puzzling murder cases yet: three men, all unconnected apart from the fact that they're dressed as Santa Claus, and seemingly all shot with the exact same gun at the exact same time. As Mervin wrangles this impossible murder, his colleagues struggle with their new boss's unusual working methods. And Dwayne's Christmas with his father doesn't exactly go to plan…"
Death in Paradise cast
Joining Don Gilet are regulars Don Warrington (who plays The Commissioner), Shantol Jackson (Naomi), Ginny Holder (Darlene), Élizabeth Bourgine (Catherine) and Danny John-Jules (Dwayne). But Joséphine Jobert has made it clear that she won’t be back as Florence.
The guest stars for the Christmas special are Jim Howick (Ghosts), Angela Griffin (The Wives), Marcus Brigstocke (The Unbelievable Truth), Steven Hartley (Happy Valley), Elizabeth Carling (Hotel Portofino), Michael Salami (Supacell) and Dex Lee (Doctors)
Is there a trailer?
No, not yet.
Death in Paradise Christmas special behind the scenes and more
Death in Paradise is a Red Planet Pictures production for the BBC made with the support of the region of Guadeloupe and internationally distributed by BBC Studios. The feature length Christmas episode and series 14 is executive produced by Tim Key and Amy Rodriguez for Red Planet Pictures and Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC, and series produced by Sue Howells.
