Death In Paradise favourite makes surprise cameo in Return To Paradise as new star explains connection

One Death in Paradise star will return as the new spin-off series, Return to Paradise, begins on BBC with first female detective taking on new cases and gruesome murders

If you are hooked on Death In Paradise and never miss an episode of Return to Paradise, then you’re going to want to give bonzer new spin-off series Return To Paradise a fair go. Set in Australia’s Dolphin Cove, Return To Paradise stars Aussie actress Anna Samson as DI Mackenzie Clarke and up-and-coming British actor Lloyd Griffith as Detective SC Colin Cartwright.

Anna, 34, was thrilled to land the plum role but admits she tried not to think about playing the first female lead in the franchise – or the popularity of the show. “You have to put that to the side,” she says. “The pressure of being the first female, or the size of the franchise, is not helpful. I don’t think being a female changes the DNA of the show. Being in Australia changes it more.”

None of that takes away from how proud she is to be starring as Mackenzie, a cop who returns to her native country after serving in the UK’s Metropolitan Police. “As well as being fairly overwhelmed, there was great joy and pride,” says Anna. “I was as pleased as punch that I got to play the first female lead in the franchise.”

The series sees Mackenzie return to Dolphin Cove just as the body of local estate agent Stuart Granger washes ashore with a knife in his back. The murder comes in the middle of a surf carnival and Mackenzie is thrust into her first case.

One of the daring aspects Anna loves about the drama is that often the victims aren’t likeable. “A wonderful, slightly comforting thing about our show is that you’re not overly sorry to see the person go, be it the estate agent or the wellness influencer,” smiles Anna. “There’s something a bit delicious about who gets murdered.”

When Stuart is killed, Mackenzie has only just returned to Oz. “She’s not meant to get involved in that case at all,” shares Anna. “She can’t help herself. She’s looking to rent out her mum’s house, so she goes to where this estate agent is meant to be and bumps into Colin, who is there to investigate. She can’t help herself, she puts on the gloves and gets involved at the crime scene straight away.”

Viewers will enjoy the spicy dynamic between Mackenzie and her sidekick Colin, who is inexperienced and determined to prove himself. “Mackenzie feels like a bit of an outsider, so she’s very blind to the people in Dolphin Cove who may want to be her friend,” explains Anna. “She can be very blinkered to other people’s feelings, and she gets hyper-focused on the job, which makes her quite hard work, especially for Colin.”

Despite Anna’s reluctance, Colin proves an asset. “Mackenzie’s constantly surprised when Colin has something to offer,” says Anna. “He’s very good at his job.”

On occasion, the script calls for Mackenzie to clash with Colin, leaving Anna apologising to Lloyd afterwards. Lloyd says, “She was apologising for being cruel to me or rude to me… I was like, ‘It’s fine. We’re acting.’ So it’s quite funny seeing the juxtaposition between Anna and her character Mackenzie.”

Viewers of Return To Paradise will also be treated to a cameo from Death In Paradise favourite Ardal O’Hanlon, who played DI Jack Mooney.

“We pay homage to the original series,” says Anna. “It’s very similar in spirit, but it’s not a carbon copy.” But the door is open for the franchise’s other stars, such as Ben Miller, Ralf Little or Kris Marshall. “I’d love to bring them all in,” laughs Anna. In the new series, it transpires that Anna has worked with Ardal’s character Jack in London. In real life though, the actors have never met.

“Ardal shot in London and I shot in Australia,” says Anna. “I’d love to meet him, he plays my boss at the Metropolitan Police in London, and Mackenzie left under a cloud of suspicion. Ardal’s character is overseeing the trouble in London and trying to keep Mackenzie informed, but can only tell her so much because it’s all very secret. If Mackenzie has friends, he is her friend.”

The show might follow the Paradise format, but it also embraces Australian culture. “You fall in love with Australia,” says Anna. “It almost gives you a tour of Australia via murder scenes!”

It was certainly the case for Lloyd, who found himself captivated by the dolphins that give the filming location its name. “There’s a moment where Anna and I are doing a scene on the beach. We had a bit of dialogue together and I look over her shoulder, and there are dolphins swimming behind her,” says Lloyd. “You’re acting, with a fantastic actor, and then you have a pod of 10 to 12 dolphins, right behind her. And everyone else is like, ‘It’s just dolphins, mate, happens all the time.’”

Watch Return to Paradise on Friday 22 November, 8pm, BBC One