Death in Paradise Christmas special: Release date and latest news

"It's not The Wire and it's not True Detective and it's not a comedy, per se. I don't think it's an easy thing to weave those two things together, so to be on a show that has to do that on a regular basis and achieve it, and then to put that in my hands, I think that was one of the things I was most nervous about."

Shantol Jackson, who stars as Naomi Thomas, said that initially, Gilet's character Mervin "doesn't make a good impression".

"But we realise that this man really knows how to get the job done," she added. "He's really good at his job. Not so much of a people person, we're trying to adjust to that, but he's very much capable.

"And so while we're grateful to have him, we're not so grateful to have him, and we see that playing out throughout the episode."

She also said that the "murder mystery is definitely one to look forward to".

"This Christmas special is quite special because we have three Santas," she said. "Two-and-a-half shot with the same gun around the same time. Saying it out of my mouth sounds crazy.

"So this is one of the biggest cases to date for the team."

Read on for everything you need to know about the Death in Paradise Christmas special.

Death in Paradise Christmas special release date: When will it air?

This year's Death in Paradise Christmas special airs at 8:30pm on Sunday 22nd December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Death in Paradise Christmas special cast: Who's returning? And who are the guest stars?

Ralf Little's replacement, Don Gilet, will officially be unveiled in the festive episode.

The actor is playing DI Mervin Wilson, who is initially on holiday but reluctantly ends up staying.

"My preconceptions, I suppose, were am I going to be any good at this," said Gilet on being cast as the lead. "I've been around for a while, but as I previously said, will I be able to pull this off the way these guys seem to do so effortlessly?

"But at the same time, the irresistible thing is I want to be able to achieve that. It's been going for a while, and it's growing as we speak. And then it's like now I'm going to step into it.

"I hope that I can continue its popularity, and more people will switch on, as opposed to switch off."

Returning cast includes:

• Don Warrington as Selwyn Patterson
• Shantol Jackson as Naomi Thomas
• Élizabeth Bourgine as Catherine Bordey
• Ginny Holder as Darlene Curtis
• Danny John-Jules as Dwayne Myers

Ram John Holder will also be appearing in the new episode as Dwayne's father Nelson.

The Christmas special guest stars include:

• Jim Howick (Ghosts)
• Angela Griffin (The Wives)
• Steven Hartley (Happy Valley)
• Marcus Brigstocke (The Unbelievable Truth)
• Elizabeth Carling (Hotel Portofino)
• Michael Salami (Supacell)
• Dex Lee (Doctors)

Death in Paradise Christmas special plot: What's it about?

This is what you can expect this year: "We’re back on the beautiful island of Saint Marie, and this time with a new detective inspector in tow. Londoner Mervin Wilson ruffles some feathers as he clashes with the island’s way of life.

"But he quickly sinks his teeth into one of the team's most puzzling murder cases yet: three men, all unconnected apart from the fact that they’re dressed as Santa Claus, and seemingly all shot with the exact same gun at the exact same time.

"As Mervin wrangles this impossible murder, his colleagues struggle with their new boss’s unusual working methods. And Dwayne’s Christmas with his father doesn’t exactly go to plan."

Death in Paradise will air at 8:30pm on Sunday 22nd December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Season 1-13 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.

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