Get Millie Black writer says series is "more than" Death in Paradise comparisons

When asked about why he wanted to write this story, James said in a press pack for the series: "I want people to have a more complicated view of what Jamaica is. It is certainly more than sun and sand and sea.

"There is a dark undercurrent, but at the same time, the forces of good are also Jamaican. There is stuff going on, but there are really talented and dedicated people who go about protecting people and saving lives and solving mysteries.

"When people think of a Caribbean crime, they might think of Death in Paradise. But it’s more than that. It’s complicated, it’s dark, it’s sexy, it’s mysterious.

"You get the entire cross section of Jamaican society, but it is set in Kingston. It is a city noir. It is what LA is to Chinatown."

He added: "In Scandinavia, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is called Men Who Hate Women. That story put Scandinavia as this place where really complicated and exciting mysteries happen.

"No one is saying they are not going to Sweden because of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but people want to watch Scandinavian noir. This is Jamaican noir."

The new five-part series sees Time and Mr Loverman star Tamara Lawrance take the lead as Millie-Jean Black, who was once Scotland Yard's brightest star but has returned to her home city of Kingston to work in the Jamaican Police Force.

Her dedication to missing children is palpable, being her main driving force for working such tough cases.

But things soon start to get increasingly tense as another Scotland Yard detective, Luke Holborn (Joe Dempsie), comes to Jamaica after some crossover with one of Millie's cases.

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Game of Thrones star Dempsie has also echoed James's sentiments, saying that Get Millie Black is "hard to define".

Dempsie said: "Get Millie Black is ostensibly a cop show, a crime thriller. But it has loads of other layers that I think make it hard to define and put squarely in that box.

"The aesthetic is vivid and stylised, the story takes us through every level of Kingston society (from the underworld to the rich and powerful), and in her mission to find Romeo, Millie pulls on threads that expand the scope of the case and expose crime and corruption on a scale beyond anything she could’ve imagined - which are classic ingredients of film noir."

Starring as Millie's sister Hibiscus is Chyna McQueen, who has also praised the series for its representation of trans and queer characters in Jamaica, saying: "It’s a groundbreaking series that represents true Jamaican authenticity. The mystery, crime, and violence.

"It also shows the reality of trans and queer life in Jamaica and how transphobic and homophobic the country still is."

Get Millie Black will begin airing on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 5th March.

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