NEW HOLIDAY SPECIAL EPISODES FOR DEATH IN PARADISE AND BEYOND PARADISE TO PREMIERE ON BRITBOX

Guest Cast Revealed for Both Specials including Stars from Doctor Who, Alien Earth, Ted Lasso and more

Spend the holidays in Paradise as BritBox announces new holiday specials and guest casts for the Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise Christmas specials, streaming exclusively on BritBox over the holidays.
 

Beyond Paradise

• In Shipton Abbott, the guest arrivals docking into the Devon seaside town for the holidays include Adrian Edmondson (Alien: Earth), James Lance (Ted Lasso) and Jonny Weldon (One Day). They’ll be joining Kris Marshall (DI Humphrey Goodman), Sally Bretton (Martha Lloyd), Zahra Ahmadi (DS Esther Williams), Dylan Llewellyn (PC Kelby Hartford), Barbara Flynn (Anne Lloyd), Felicity Montagu (Margo Martins), Jamie Bamber (Archie Hughes) and Melina Sinadinou (Zoe Williams) to serve up another helping of yuletide cheer.
• When Esther discovers a man on the steps of the Shipton Abbott police station with no memory, holding a photo of Humphrey, the team gets to work to uncover who the mysterious man is while balancing a flurry of festive cases. At the same time, with the help of Anne, Zoe and a special guest, Martha races to pull off her secret plan while Kelby tries to help a mystery man trapped inside his snowman costume. But with an influx of unexpected visitors, a slew of holiday crimes to crack, and a heartwarming reunion on the line, can the team juggle it all and still be ready for a life-changing reveal?
• The Christmas special of Beyond Paradise is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox and is produced by Red Planet Pictures. Tim Key and Tony Jordan are executive producers for Red Planet Pictures, with Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC, Robert Schildhouse and Stephen Nye for BritBox, with Lindsay Hughes serving as producer. BBC Studios is handling global sales. All series of Beyond Paradise are available to watch on BritBox in North America and the Nordic markets and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

IMAGE CREDITS: Red Planet Pictures / BBC / Joss Barrett

 

Death in Paradise

• Josie Lawrence (Outside Edge), Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead), Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who), James Baxter (Waterloo Road), Billy Harris (Ted Lasso), Oriana Charles and Alix Serman will be joining Don Gilet (DI Mervin Wilson), Shantol Jackson (DS Naomi Thomas), Ginny Holder (Officer Darlene Curtis), Shaquille Ali-Yebuah (Officer Sebastian Rose) and Élizabeth Bourgine (Catherine Bordey) for Christmas in the Caribbean as they head to Saint Marie and Swindon.
• The office Christmas party of a lifetime takes a dark turn when four co-workers wake up to find a stranger dead in the pool of their Caribbean villa. DI Mervin Wilson and the team identify the murder weapon, but they’re left baffled when they find that it was locked in a drawer when the murder took place… thousands of miles away from the crime scene, in Swindon! Stuck in Saint Marie, the team calls on the help of a familiar face to crack the case. Meanwhile, Mervin’s anxiously waiting to hear back from his newly discovered brother, which prevents him from embracing Saint Marie’s Christmas celebrations. Can Mervin resolve his family situation and get into the festive spirit – for the sake of his team and the island?
• The Christmas special of Death in Paradise is executive produced by Tim Key and America Rodriguez for Red Planet Pictures, with Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC and produced by Ray McBride. BBC Studios is handling global sales. All series of Death in Paradise are available to watch on BritBox and BBC iPlayer.

IMAGE CREDITS: Red Planet Pictures / BBC / Philippe Varin

 

About BritBox
BritBox is the leading streaming destination for the best of British television, offering an unmatched collection of expertly curated entertainment. From critically acclaimed dramas and mysteries to comedies, documentaries, and lifestyle programming, BritBox invites audiences to step out of their everyday and into a world of exceptional British storytelling. Launched in 2017 and now owned by BBC Studios, BritBox is available in the US, Canada, Australia, and the Nordics. For more, visit britbox.com, or find the BritBox app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
 

About Red Planet Pictures
Red Planet Pictures is one of the UK’s leading drama production companies, known for bold, high-quality storytelling and ambitious, emotionally engaging series that resonate with audiences around the world. Run by Co-CEOs Belinda Campbell and Alex Jones, the company has a strong reputation for creating returnable global hits and character-driven original drama.

Recent successes include BBC One ratings hit DEATH IN PARADISE which has aired for over a decade and is broadcast in more than 230 territories worldwide. The 14^th series introduced a brand new Detective Inspector, Mervin Williams, played by Don Gilet, who returns for series 15 which is currently in production.

The popularity and success of the show has led to the expansion of the ‘Paraverse’ with two original, stand-alone dramas that share the integral DNA of the original smash hit. BBC and BritBox International co-commissioned spin-off, BEYOND PARADISE starring Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton as DI Humphrey Goodman and Martha Lloyd. The first series became the UK’s most watched new drama of 2023 and the second, airing a year later achieving regular audiences of over 7.5 million viewers. The show is broadcast in over 135 territories with the fourth series in production. In Australia, RETURN TO PARADISE a brand new, original spin-off series with a uniquely Australian sensibility, aired on ABC last year, starring Anna Samson and Lloyd Griffiths and was produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia with Red Planet Pictures for ABC in association with the BBC, who also aired the series on BBC One and iPlayer. The second series will be on air soon.

Most recently, Red Planet Pictures announced a co-production deal with Broadchurch creator, Chris Chibnall’s Imaginary Friends Productions to produce an adaptation of his debut novel, Death at the White Hart, for ITV.

Red Planet Pictures, which was founded by award-winning showrunner Tony Jordan in 2006, is also behind the critically acclaimed 20-part drama DICKENSIAN and flagship WWI drama THE PASSING BELLS both for BBC One, the big budget action adventure series HOOTEN & THE LADY for Sky, three seasons of the epic adaptation of the unfinished Jane Austen novel SANDITON by Emmy and BAFTA-Award winning writer Andrew Davies for MASTERPIECE and ITV, and the hugely successful adaptation of the award-winning, best-selling novel by Louise Candlish, OUR HOUSE also for ITV. Candlish is now working with Red Planet Pictures on adapting two of her thrillers, THE SWIMMING POOL and THE ONLY SUSPECT, as well as working on new, original, drama series ideas and scripts.

In 2024, Fremantle acquired a majority stake in Red Planet Pictures through it’s acquisition of Asacha Media Group. While continuing to operate independently and retain its distinct creative identity, Red Planet now benefits from being part of the wider Fremantle group, enhancing its ability to access international markets, tap into Fremantle’s global infrastructure, and deliver ambitious premium drama to audiences worldwide.

For more information, visit: redplanetpictures.co.uk
 

About BBC Studios
BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.

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