Beloved crime drama Death in Paradise will feature its first ever female detective in a new spin-off series.
Return to Paradise will be set in Australia and see former Home And Away actress Anna Samson play DI Mackenzie “Mack” Clarke.
According to an official synopsis, Mackenzie has made a name for herself by cracking seemingly-unsolvable murder cases as a detective in London's Metropolitan Police, but she returns to her hometown of Dolphin Cove in Australia after being accused of tampering with evidence.
Although she is unwelcome in the town, having fled six years ago when she left her fiancé Glen (Tai Hara) waiting at the altar, Mackenzie reluctantly joins the local police team, with no other options open to her, and is determined to figure out whatever cases land on her desk.
Samson will now follow in the footsteps of the show's former detectives Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, Ardal O'Hanlon and the recently departed Ralf Little.
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, said: “Everything we all love about Death in Paradise - the humour, the beautiful scenery, the likeable characters, the ingenious plots - now in a fabulous Australian setting'.
“I cannot wait for BBC viewers to be introduced to Detective Mack and the good (and not so good!) folk of Dolphin Cove. What a treat we have in store!”
The cast will also include Lloyd Griffith, Catherine McClements, Celia Ireland, Andrea Demetriades and Aaron McGrath.
The six-part series will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and ABC and ABC iview later this year in Australia. It will be distributed globally by BBC Studios.
Filming for the new programme is already underway in Sydney and the Illawarra coastal region.
Little left viewers in floods of tears when he bowed out last month as DI Neville Parker after four years in original show Death In Paradise.
His official replacement has yet to be announced.
