On home TURF

ZAHRA AHMADI on why playing a Devon cop is a perfect fit

- STEVEN PERKINS.

BEYOND PARADISE

FRIDAY, 8PM, BBC1 DRAMA

Detective Sergeant Esther Williams gets her time to shine in this week’s episode of BBC1’s sun-dappled crime drama Beyond Paradise as her local expertise proves invaluable after a controversial painting goes missing.

It’s a case of art imitating life for Plymouth- born actor Zahra Ahmadi, who plays the dedicated cop, as her knowledge of the West Country helped the cast and crew settle in while filming there for the Devon-set series.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Zahra tells TV Times why she loved working on home ground for such a fun series…

There’s an art thief at large in the (fictional) town of Shipton Abbott in episode three of Beyond Paradise – can you share any clues about the story?

It’s about a painting that has real historical significance in Shipton Abbott. There’s been a lot of debate over who made the painting – whether it was the established artist, or his assistant.

The owner of a country manor sees her relative as having painted it, and she is going to exhibit it, which invokes some protests from the family of the artist’s assistant. That’s why the police are present, to make sure everything runs smoothly, but then the painting goes missing! So we need to figure out who’s done it, and why…

This case has attracted a great guest cast for this episode… 

I felt totally humbled. I had a bit of imposter syndrome while we were making this, really. I was like, ‘You guys are incredible!’