Death in Paradise viewers were delighted to witness Selwyn Patterson (played by Don Warrington) return to the BBC series on Sunday evening. The Commissioner, who departed his position and Saint Marie in the most recent series, made an unexpected appearance in the Christmas special.
The programme’s new detective, DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet), sought the Commissioner’s help as he and his team tried to solve a puzzling murder on Saint Marie. Nevertheless, as the killing had connections to the UK, Selwyn, who was spending Christmas with his daughter, volunteered to journey to Swindon to assist with the investigation.
Despite his reluctance, Mervin succeeded in solving the case after the Commissioner supplied crucial information to the detective.
Within minutes of the festive episode beginning, Selwyn revealed his reasons for being in Swindon. He explained, “The police were called to your colleague’s holiday villa, where, I am sorry to say, a man was found shot dead. Murdered.”
Viewers were delighted by Selwyn’s comeback, with one posting, “Absolutely brilliant Christmas special, I really enjoyed it. It was lovely to see Selwyn return,” reports the Express.
Another penned, “I knew it was going to be Selwyn!”
Selwyn Patterson made a surprise return(Image: BBC)
Whilst a third commented, “I definitely didn’t scream with excitement… IM SO HAPPY.”
Someone else remarked, “Was hoping it was going to be Selwyn.”
Selwyn left fans gobsmacked when he popped up in the Death in Paradise spin-off, Beyond Paradise, where he was reunited with Humphrey Goodman ( Kris Marshall ) and Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) for their long-awaited nuptials.
In anticipation of the festive episode, the Beyond Paradise Instagram page dropped a hint about Selwyn’s appearance. Alongside a snapshot of the Commissioner, they teased, “Tomorrow night… the Commissioner might be in the UK, but the Caribbean keeps calling.”
The Death in Paradise Christmas special(Image: BBC)
The Commissioner seemed to bid farewell to Death in Paradise at the conclusion of series 14 after losing his job and being replaced.
However, following a petition spearheaded by Catherine Bordey (Elizabeth Bourgine) to reinstate Selwyn, he was offered his old job back. In a surprising twist, Selwyn chose to decline the offer and leave.
Despite making a comeback in tonight’s Christmas special, will we see the Commissioner return to Saint Marie for series 15?
Death in Paradise is available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.
