With the 12th season of Death in Paradise rapidly drawing towards its end game, fans may feel bereft at the thought of going without the romance, scandal and surprises that the series has given us this year.

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Well, not to worry - as it turns out fans won't have to, as we now have a release date for the show's highly anticipated spin-off series Beyond Paradise, and there's not long to wait.

The new series sees the return of Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman alongside his fiancée Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton), and will explore their new life together in the rural countryside, while also showing off more of Humphrey’s renowned detective skills in their new home of Shipton Abbott, which has a "surprisingly high crime rate".

So, when will Beyond Paradise land on BBC One? And who else stars in the new series? Read on for everything you need to know.

Beyond Paradise release date

The cast of Beyond Paradise.
The cast of Beyond Paradise. BBC

After months of waiting, we now have a confirmed release date for Beyond Paradise, which will start airing episodes from Friday 24th February 2023.

The series will be following on directly from season 12 of Death in Paradise, which is currently underway and comes to a close on Friday 24th February, the same day as Beyond Paradise starts.

Beyond Paradise cast

Beyond Paradise.
Beyond Paradise. BBC

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton are returning as DI Humphrey Goodman and Martha Lloyd respectively to lead the new spin-off. Fans will remember that in his time as a Saint Marie detective through 2014 to 2017, the topic of the pair's will they/won't they romance was a main focus of the previous seasons.

But it reached its emotional finale in 2017 when Humphrey took control of his destiny and followed Martha back to London to declare his undying love for her.

In Beyond Paradise, the engaged couple are navigating their new life in the countryside, but Humphrey is back to investigating a string of crimes in the area. His somewhat eclectic team consists of Zahra Ahmadi (EastEnders) as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu (Hullraisers) as Margo Martins.

A host of guest stars and recurring cast members for the new series were also recently revealed, including Samantha Spiro (Sex Education), Jade Harrison (The Stranger), Davood Ghadami (EastEnders), Jamie Bamber (Law & Order UK) and Montserrat Lombard (Rare Beasts).

There will also be appearances from Yasmine Akram (Bad Sisters), Dan Mersh (The Death of Stalin), David Reed (Endeavour), Nina Singh (The Lazarus Project), Chris Jenks (Sex Education), Rufus Jones (Home), John Macneill (His Dark Materials), Jaye Jacobs (Holby City), John Hollingworth (1917), Ingrid Oliver (The Hustle), Peter De Jersey (Broadchurch), Alan Williams (Chernobyl), Annette Badland (Doctor Who) and Kerry Howard (Him & Her).

As for additional cast members, we also can't help but wonder if any Death in Paradise characters could possibly make an appearance in the new series. We'll just have to wait and see.

Beyond Paradise plot

Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman in Death in Paradise.
Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman in Death in Paradise. BBC

Swapping the sunny shores of Saint Marie for Shipton Abbott, Martha’s hometown near the beautiful Devonshire coast, we follow the pair as they embark on their new adventure.

Their new life quickly has them thrown in the deep end as Martha sets out to pursue her dream of running her own restaurant and Humphrey joins the local police force.

Like in Death in Paradise, he's set to quickly make an impression on his small team by showing them a whole new approach to police work. Together, the team will have to crack a host of baffling cases, and be faced with a new crime each week with a "unique puzzle at its heart".

As the synopsis reads: "The not-so-sleepy town of Shipton Abbott will be rocked by an entire family disappearing without a trace, a woman claiming she was attacked by a suspect from the seventeenth century, the robbery of a highly prized painting, a body bizarrely discovered in a crop circle, and a serial arsonist with a seeming distaste for local businesses.

"As Humphrey gets stuck into his new job, he and Martha must also navigate life’s ups and downs, as faces from the past, the decisions they make and challenges of setting up life in a new town put their relationship to the ultimate test yet."

Speaking to Radio Times magazine, the series' writer Tony Jordan explained the main changes between Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise, saying: "It’s got the same uplifting escapism as Death in Paradise, and a puzzle to work out in every episode.

"The way we differentiate it is, it’s not always murder, and the way we do our reveal has changed. We’ve taken the good stuff, and we’ve added to it, and made it slightly different."

Beyond Paradise trailer

A first-look trailer has now been released for Beyond Paradise, giving us a glimpse of Humphrey in action as the new detective in Shipton Abbot.

The teaser also gives us a look at new characters including Zahra Ahmadi's DS Esther Williams and Dylan Llewellyn's PC Kelby Hartford. You can watch the trailer right here now.

Read more:

Beyond Paradise will air on BBC One from Friday 24th February. Classic episodes of Death in Paradise are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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