Death in Paradise teases exit in spin-off as Humphrey Goodman to let team member go
Beyond Paradise stars Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton have teased the upcoming storylines in series four, and an exit could be on the cards
Humphrey and Martha in Beyond Paradise(Image: BBC)
Beyond Paradise is set to return to our screens imminently, featuring Detective Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and his new bride, Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton), back in action in Shipton Abbott.
In an exclusive chat with Reach PLC, Kris and Sally gave fans a tantalising glimpse of what’s in store for series four and how Martha and Humphrey are faring after tying the knot in the Christmas special.
However, despite the couple’s marital bliss, the upcoming series – kicking off on 27 March – promises an emotional rollercoaster as Humphrey faces a heart-wrenching choice: letting someone go from the police station.
Discussing the plotline, Kris said, “I mean, there always has to be some kind of challenge for Humphrey in terms of, because, like I said, you know, otherwise he just wanders around.”
He added, “I mean, it’s that paradox, isn’t it, about TV detectives, they’re sort of fish out of water, they don’t really like rules, and yet they exist in one of the most sort of institutional, authoritarian, hierarchies, the police force,” reports the Express.
Sally Bretton as Martha Lloyd and Kris Marshall as Humphrey Goodman(Image: BBC)
“He despises any form of authority, he loathes rules, he detests being told what he has to do, and so it’s thrust upon him, and it literally comes knocking on his door as it does. You know, he really detests that, really dislikes it, and he doesn’t like the pressure.”
The star who portrays Humphrey Goodman continued, “And also, he adores his team. He feels like losing one of them would be like losing an appendage, or a part of him, you know.
“He doesn’t feel like he’s the boss. He feels that they all bring a sort of an equal amount to the Melange, you know, to the Jamboree, and so I think he’s thrust into this, as I said about him, living on a boat, he’s quite happy living on a boat.
“It’s not that he doesn’t think about Martha, it’s just not on his radar. He’s this slightly neurodiverse kind of guy, and so these things are thrust upon him, and he doesn’t necessarily deal with it very well.”
Kris and Sally also revealed insights into Martha and Humphrey’s marriage, and where the series begins, as nothing ever runs smoothly for the pair. Sally explained that boat life was never part of Martha and Humphrey’s original vision.
Humphrey is forced to make a heartbreaking decision(Image: BBC)
She revealed: “Martha starts reflecting on, ‘Was this a bit of an unexpected twist anyway? Going to live on the boat as it wasn’t really the plan originally’.
“And maybe now that they’re married and they want to focus a lot on settling a little bit more, and maybe it’s time to start having a look at a house, and I think they want to focus on each other and have all of the fun and everything that they always have done, but they’ve been knocked off center a lot.”
Kris chimed in: “I think it’s being thrust into making a decision about moving forward. You know, and the fact that it comes right at the beginning of episode one.
“In the last episode, we saw them get married. They sort of reaffirmed their commitment to each other as a couple, despite everything else that’s happened to them during the fostering journey, living on a boat, and living with her mum. You know, all the other outward factors that influence them, they’re always just the two of them together.
“They come back to this sort of like a solid base, and then to have the sort of almost immediate need to change their life again as soon as they’ve been married.
“Humphrey’s very much like, ‘I go off and solve some puzzles, solve some murders, solve some crimes, perfect, and then come back live on my boat’. He would never change. He wouldn’t change a thing, you know, he wouldn’t even think about it. He doesn’t think of life progression or anything like that.
“So it needs something to thrust that basically from his happy existence into that,” he added.
