Return to Paradise has finally dropped its first trailer, with the makers of the upcoming BBC show declaring it's "a new Aussie take on Death in Paradise".
The six-part crime drama, the second Death in Paradise spin-off after Beyond Paradise, stars former Home and Away actress Anna Samson as London Metropolitan police officer DI Mackenzie Clarke who's forced to return home to Australia.
The new trailer contains several nods to Death in Paradise. Just like its parent show, it's clear that a lot of the action will take place around beautiful beaches, with a body being seen found on the shore with a knife in it. If you look closely you can also see they use the same distinctive yellow crime scene tape they use in Death in Paradise.
While in a scene that could be straight out of DIP, DI Mackenzie Clarke is seen rushing down the beach before rugby tackling a suspect. Return to Paradise is also clearly intent on having the same comedy-drama style and it looks like the team dynamic will also be similar. Plus the police station in Return to Paradise is like the one in Saint Marie, even having the same type of crime board with photos pinned up!
The main difference between the two shows is that rather than a male lead detective, we have a female character driving the series. Death in Paradise has always had male leads and despite speculation they might cast a woman to replace Ralf Little, they've again gone for a man for Death in Paradise season 14, with Don Gilet taking over detecting duties.
As for the plot of Return to Paradise, the makers tease: "Having fled the town six years ago, infamously leaving her ex- fiancée Glenn (Tai Hara) at the altar, Mackenzie is not welcome here.
"But with no other job options, and a unique talent for solving a mystery, no matter how challenging, a reluctant Mack joins the team at Dolphin Cove Police Station. Once a case lands on her desk, she can't rest until she’s figured it out, and the killer is in handcuffs. It’s that tenacity and work ethic that might just, over time, help Mackenzie win over her new colleagues, and the people of Dolphin Cove."
Return to Paradise will air on BBC One in late 2024 it's been confirmed although we don't have an exact date. It will probably head to BritBox in the US, while it will be screened on ABC in Australia.
