Who is Despair in Dead Boy Detectives? The Sandman cameo broken down

The new Netflix series, based on the characters created by Neil Gaiman, follows Edwin and Charles (George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri), the ghosts of two boys who were both killed at age 16 and who are evading death in the hopes of solving mysteries and helping other ghosts move on.

Throughout the series, there are various links with The Sandman, including a cameo from Kirby, who plays Death – but there was another unexpected guest appearance – Donna Preston, reprising her role as Despair.

Plus, fans will be thrilled to see a slightly different Despair to the one we saw in The Sandman. Here's everything you need to know!

Who is Despair in The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives?

Despair is one of the Endless and is the twin of Desire (played in The Sandman by Mason Alexander Park).

However, in The Sandman, she only had a brief appearance in season 1 episode 7, with some viewers suggesting she seemed like more of a sidekick to Desire than the powerful entity from the comic books. Many were hoping we would see more of her – so Dead Boy Detectives did not disappoint.

Edwin (George Rexstrew) meets the chilling character of Despair in Hell, in her realm, as she spies on Simon, who we realise is Edwin's killer – and who has torn apart his hands by ripping pages out of a book for 40,000 days.

She tells Edwin he only gets to leave through the door he came in by and introduces herself as Despair. She goes on to say that he doesn't belong with her and that they're friends now, instructing him to go back and gloat over Simon's torment.

While it's another brief appearance for Despair, we see her in her element, poring over the torment in the depths of hell.

Chatting to RadioTimes.com about bringing back Preston's character, showrunner Steve Yockey said: "She was a little bit Desire's sidekick in the first season of The Sandman and I know there's more of her coming.

"But we wanted to have fun with her and make her as scary as I find her in the comic books. And so Neil [Gaiman] and Alan [Heinberg] were okay with it and we volunteered to recreate her very comic book accurate layer.

"It was a lot of fun. Donna was so game, but she showed up and she's such a bubbly, happy person and then we put her in this hair and makeup and she came out and just dropped into it."

Executive Producer Beth Schwartz added: "She fit so naturally in our Hell episode - it was a no brainer."

Gaiman has previously said he has regrets over the portrayal of Despair in The Sandman season 1, telling a fan on Tumblr: "Mostly, what I hope is that the next time you see Despair on the screen you won't think of her as frumpy, depressed and unloved.

"She isn't in the comics, and I think we missed what we were aiming for in Sandman season 1."

Who is Despair actress Donna Preston?

Donna Preston is an actress and comedian with roles across TV and film. She's appeared in movies like Set The Thames on Fire, The Hitman's Bodyguard, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Some of her recent TV roles have included Inside No.9, Hard Cell, and another Gaiman series, Good Omens.

Dead Boy Detectives is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.