The EX FACTOR!

JAMIE BAMBER on whether Archie will come between Martha and Humphrey, and why he’d love a Death in Paradise crossover…

- STEVEN PERKINS

BEYOND PARADISE 

FRIDAY, 8PM, BBC1 DRAMA 

Jamie Bamber is no stranger to crime dramas, having played detectives in gritty ITV1 series Law & Order: UK, Marcella and DI Ray. But for his current role in BBC1’s sun-dappled whodunnit show Beyond Paradise, the actor is enjoying a rather different beat as dashing vineyard owner Archie Hughes, who is far more interested in sampling fine wines than solving complex cases!

As the Death in Paradise spin-off continues this week, Archie and his business partner – and ex-fiancée! – Martha Lloyd (played by Sally Bretton) welcome a food critic into their cafe, hoping it could boost the fledgling enterprise’s fortunes. All the while, it’s clear that Archie is harbouring feelings for his former flame, who is now happily engaged to DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall).

Here, in an exclusive interview, Jamie, 49, tells TV Times why he’s relishing causing a stir in the (fictional) Devon town of Shipton Abbott…

The fourth episode feels like a turning point for Archie and Martha’s business, but he seems very distracted by his feelings for her, doesn’t he? 

Yes, Archie is someone who’s living with a regret. Martha is the one that got away, and it has taken him a fair few years to realise that that was the opportunity of his life.

He’s a very successful guy with a lot of options; he’s been privileged from birth and he’s made the most of that. But I think the one thing he feels he maybe didn’t appreciate when he had it was Martha. And lo and behold, there she is!