Return to Paradise premiere answers two big mysteries about DI Mackenzie Clarke

But the reason for that widespread ill feeling towards Mackenzie is initially kept under wraps.

Why does everyone hate her so much? What on earth did she do six years ago, before she left for London?

And that's not the only mystery that's teased earlier in the episode.

Why did Mackenzie come back to Australia if she didn't really want to? And why is she being so shifty about how long she's staying? Does she even know how long she'll be here?

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When Mackenzie rings her boss in the English capital, Ardal O'Hanlon's detective Jack Mooney, of all people, he initially dodges her call, but she eventually reaches him after contacting the former Death in Paradise lead from an unknown number.

Initially, he speaks to her in code in an effort to disguise who he's talking to before firmly telling her not to contact him again.

And so, the plot thickens...

But eventually, we get some clarity about who we're dealing with here.

When Mackenzie jumped on a plane over half a decade ago, she abandoned her then fiancée, forensic pathologist Glenn Strong, at the altar. The reason: she'd always felt judged and unwelcome in Dolphin Cove and came to the conclusion that the town, as beautiful as it is, simply wasn't enough for her.

But she upped and left without talking to Glenn first, leaving him entirely in the dark – and utterly heartbroken. And as a much-loved member of the community, the locals were incensed by Mackenzie's treatment of him.

How could she do such a thing to their sweet Glenn? How could she be so cruel? And so, their contempt was born.

Shortly after that question was answered, we also learned why Mackenzie had come back to a place she felt so strongly about leaving: she'd run into trouble in her job at the Metropolitan Police.

She is currently under suspension, or she's supposed to be. The detective was accused of evidence tampering – an accusation she refutes – but she fled the country, along with her warrant card, which has halted proceedings.

"I didn't, I was sticked up. I would never tamper with evidence " she says to senior sergeant Philomena Strong, and although the details are currently unclear, we're not in any doubt that Mackenzie is a cop with integrity.

There will now be an enquiry, which is "going to take months", according to Philomena, which means she's not going anywhere anytime soon.

But London's loss is Dolphin Cove's (and our) gain.

Return to Paradise continues on Friday 29th November at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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