Return to Paradise's Anna Samson explains what sets it apart from Death in Paradise
"It's not a carbon copy."
Ahead of the premiere of Return to Paradise, the second spin-off of long-running BBC crime drama Death in Paradise, leading lady Anna Samson has been talking about how it stands apart from the original series.
"It pays homage to the original, and it's got a spirit of the original, absolutely, and a charm," she said. "It's delightful and it's warm like the original, but it's not a carbon copy.
"I think what makes ours unique is the setting. I think setting it in Australia does something very different to the show."
Echoing those comments about the new environment, co-lead Lloyd Griffith said: "I'm not saying the Caribbean's not beautiful, the Caribbean is beautiful, but I think Brits absolutely adore Australia and so it is just location p**n after location p**n."
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Griffith also said that unlike in Death in Paradise, which has welcomed many a new British detective to the fictional island of Saint Marie, there's "no one person who's just there for the first time" in Return to Paradise.
"Mackenzie's been there before, Colin's been there for six or seven years, so his feet are kind of under the table," he said.
"So there is that familiarity of, 'Oh, it's new people in a location, but actually they are familiar with the surroundings.'"
Samson agreed: "Because the central detective role is returning to a hometown – that's very different from the original show. It's not set in the Caribbean, so there's not this culture clash. It's a fish out of water, but in a town that she knows, and they already know her, and she's out of place in a place that she knows. And I think that's quite unique to our show."
That also gave the writers room to "create a few more backstories", according to Griffith.
"So you'll see love interests later on in the series," he added. "There's various different things that do set it apart, but then also do link it as well. So I think it's refreshing."
According to the synopsis: "Return to Paradise follows DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson), an Australian expat who’s made a name for herself in London’s Metropolitan Police for cracking uncrackable murder cases. When she is accused of tampering with evidence, Mackenzie returns to Australia, back to the last place she ever wanted to be – her hometown of Dolphin Cove.
"Having fled the town six years ago, infamously leaving her ex-fiancée Glenn (Tai Hara) at the altar, Mackenzie is not welcome here.
"But with no other job options, and a unique talent for solving a mystery, no matter how challenging, a reluctant Mack joins the team at Dolphin Cove Police Station."
It continues: "Once a case lands on her desk, she can’t rest until she’s figured it out, and the killer is in handcuffs. It’s that tenacity and work ethic that might just, over time, help Mackenzie win over her new colleagues, and the people of Dolphin Cove."
As well as Samson, the cast for Return to Paradise includes Lloyd Griffith (Ted Lasso), Tai Hara (Colin From Accounts), Catherine McClements (Total Control), Celia Ireland (Wentworth Prison), Andrea Demetriades (The Artful Dodger) and Aaron McGrath (Preppers).
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Return to Paradise will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday 22nd November.
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