PARADISE found!

KRIS MARSHALL on why life in Shipton Abbott couldn't be sunnier...

- STEVEN PERKINS

BEYOND PARADISE

GOOD FRIDAY, 9PM, BBC1 DRAMA

Kris Marshall is on cloud nine when TV Times calls him for an exclusive interview about the second series of BBC1's Beyond Paradise and with good reason! The West Country-set whodunnit, which saw him reprise his role of DI Humphrey Goodman from Caribbean-based Death in Paradise for homegrown adventures, proved an instant hit when it launched in February 2023, regularly attracting over eight million viewers.

'We wanted to create a unique show off the back of Death in Paradise that stands alone, and we must be doing something right!' smiles Kris, 50. 'And in the second season, all of the crimes are bigger and better!"

Since moving to the picturesque (fictional) Devon town of Shipton Abbott, Humphrey and his fiancée Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) have faced major obstacles in their relationship, including their unsuccessful attempts to have a baby through IVF. Then, Martha's business partner and ex-fiancé Archie Hughes (Jamie Bamber) declared he still had feelings for her, although she didn't reciprocate.

But in the new six-part run, which begins on Friday 22 March, things are now looking much sunnier, with the couple living blissfully on their houseboat alongside Selwyn the duck, and looking forward to a bright future.

Here, Kris tells us more...

It's lovely seeing Humphrey and Martha so happy! Have you and Sally enjoyed playing that side of their relationship again?