Death in Paradise spin-off is “not a carbon copy” of BBC’s main show
"It's warm like the original, but it's not a carbon copy."
Return to Paradise‘s Anna Samson has said the spin-off is no “carbon copy” of the original show.
The show’s lead star told Digital Spy and other journalists: “[Return to Paradise] pays homage to the original and it’s got a spirit of the original and a charm. It’s delightful and it’s warm like the original, but it’s not a carbon copy and I think that’s a good thing.”
The Death in Paradise spin-off is centred around the franchise’s first female detective inspector Mackenzie Clarke, who begrudgingly returns home to Australia following a tense departure six years prior.
“I actually think that there being a female detective in it doesn’t change the DNA of the show as much as you might think,” Samson said of the change.
“I think what makes ours unique is the setting. I think setting it in Australia does something very different to the show. Also, because the central detective role is returning to a hometown, that’s very different from the original show.
“It is not set in the Caribbean, so there’s not this culture clash. It’s a fish out of water but in a town that she knows and they already know her and I think that’s quite unique to our show.”
Explaining how his character Detective SC Colin Cartwright fits into this new format, Samson’s co-star Lloyd Griffith said: “Colin’s been there for six or seven years so. His feet are kind of under the table.”
He added: “There is that familiarity of, ‘Oh, it’s new people in a location’, but actually they are familiar with the surroundings and so I think that sets [the show] apart. Also, I think it just means that you’re able to create a few more backstories. You’ll see love interests later on in the series.”
Griffith went on to share his experience of filming on location.
“The Caribbean is beautiful, but I think Brits absolutely adore Australia and so it’s just location porn after location porn after location porn. It’s refreshing,” he said.
Return to Paradise debuts on November 22 on BBC One. Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise both air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.
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