Death in Paradise first look sees emotions run high as Commissioner's life hangs in balance

And we get our first look at the heightened emotions in an exclusive clip for RadioTimes.com, which shows Naomi (Shantol Jackson) and Marlon (Tahj Miles) having a frank conversation about how they're feeling in the midst of the drama.

Naomi asks Marlon plainly how he is, a question that clearly leaves him confused at first - but after Naomi says she knows how much the commissioner means to him, Marlon opens up a little more. "That man changed my life," he sighs.

"I guess you don't know how much you care about somebody until you're about to lose them," he continues.

Of course, Marlon's journey into the police force was helped by the commissioner, who saw talent in the previous petty criminal, and helped turn his life around by pushing him to take the entrance exam.

As Marlon and Naomi share a heartfelt moment, Naomi leans in to give Marlon a hug - but Marlon takes a step back, referencing the Christmas party kiss.

After Naomi says she wasn't going to kiss him, Marlon says: "Look, it's just like the Christmas party all over again, you can't help yourself."

Then he jokes about being irresistible and having that effect on women, but when Naomi clocks on to his joke, she retracts the offer of the hug. As she's turning to walk away, though, Marlon admits that he could really use a hug right now, after all.

It's set to be quite the dramatic series opener this Sunday (4th February), as the team are left in despair after the shooting of the commissioner, which takes place at a party marking his five decades in the police force.

Speaking about the 100th episode, Warrington himself told the BBC: "It was exciting to shoot, because I think it's an episode where we move away from the sort of conventional case, as it is a crime that involves everybody."

Read more:

• Death in Paradise stars: "Is the commissioner actually going to die?"
• Death in Paradise's Commissioner Selwyn to be left fighting for his life

He continued: "Everybody is emotionally involved in solving it, given the victim is somebody they know. They have an emotional response that is different, because normally we don't know the victims, so there's a detachment when dealing with them.

"There's a sense of jeopardy about this case, which I think hopefully makes it exciting to watch. I suppose the big question is, will he make it or not?"

Death in Paradise episode 100 premieres on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 4th February 2024. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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