Ahead of the forthcoming tenth series of Death in Paradise, the BBC has provided a range of interviews exploring the show from its beginnings to the latest instalment

We’ve reported on various pieces of casting news for series 10 of Death in Paradise, as well as Ben Miller’s reappearance and confirmed the January 7 return date. Now the BBC has provided a range of interviews and even more material, which we’ve scoured to bring you everything you need to know ahead of the show’s return.

First up, behind all the guest and returning cast news, it may not be immediately obvious that both Aude Legastelois (Madeleine Dumas) and Shyko Amos (Ruby Paterson) have left the show. Joséphine Jobert is back as Florence Cassell and not just for the double episode special, unlike Sara Martins who returns as Camille Bordey. There’s also a newcomer, Tahj Myles, playing petty criminal Marlon Pryce. Focussing on Florence, the show’s production team tells us:

Florence has changed a little since we last saw her, and this series sees her learn how to move on after losing her fiancé three years ago.

We’re pleased to see this, as her story ended with tragedy and it’s good to see her back on St Marie moving on. Jobert herself says:

…she’s back, she’s still sad and weak in a way because that terrible drama that happened, you can’t just forget it and move on quickly. She’s a strong woman so when Selwyn asks her to come back, obviously she says yes because she loves her job and colleagues. Through the series we see how hard it still is for her to live with the pain, we will see how strong she is. She is still a woman and has feelings, she is trying really hard to move on. It’s a part of my character that we’ll see more of this year, not really her weakness but the fact that she’s not just a D.S. but she’s a human with feelings and she struggles.

St Marie’s mayor, Catherine Bordey (Elizabeth Bourgine) gets involved in a murder investigation and has her daughter return. Bourgine had this to say:

She’s getting more concerned about the new D.I., Neville Parker (Ralf Little), because in the past she hasn’t understood him at all. She was watching him, wondering how he hasn’t managed to become a part of the island because he’s stayed in his English world. She manages to befriend and understand him more. She’s happy to welcome Florence back and in this series we’ll find out more about her personal life as the Mayor.

The BBC also gets time with the show’s creator Robert Thorogood. He never expected more than a couple of a series from the idea, and explains where it all came from: when Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani cricket coach, died in suspicious circumstances in St Lucia during the Cricket World Cup of 2007. We sent over a British copper to solve his murder because he had a British passport. I thought that there could be a show in that.

How write he was. We’re very much looking forward to the new series of Death in Paradise, and the show is in robust health, so why not another ten years? The BBC is already committed to bringing series 11 to our screen in January 2021, so here’s to everyone involved! You can read more in the BBC media pack.