DI Mackenzie Clarke is back in Dolphin Cove for Return to Paradise. 

Updated 06/11/24: A start date for the Australian sister show.

While the show aired Down Under in September, here in the UK we’ve been waiting for Return to Paradise.

The series, set in the same fictional universe as Death in Paradise, follows DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Sampson) who returns to her childhood home in Australia.

Now, thanks to the Radio Times, it’s confirmed that the six-part series will begin on UK screens from Friday 22nd November at 8pm.

We’re still waiting on a BBC trailer, but you can check out the ABC’s version below.

The ‘Paraverse’

Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to the debut of St. Marie’s new Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, played by Don Gilet, in the Death in Paradise Christmas Special. That comes ahead of the show’s fourteenth series.

Plus, Kris Marshall will also be back as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman for Beyond Paradise, which also has a festive outing before its third series in 2025.

We’ll keep you posted.

Original article (of 19/08/24) continues…

Return to Paradise – start date for new Aussie ‘Death in Paradise’ show

Back in April, we reported that cameras were rolling on Return to Paradise.

The Australian-set show comes from the makers of Death in Paradise, and the format has a familiar feel. There’s a detective from elsewhere dropped into a local police team to investigate murder mysteries in a sun-drenched location…

Here’s the official synopsis for Return for Paradise

Return to Paradise follows DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson), an Australian ex-pat who’s made a name for herself in London’s Metropolitan Police for cracking uncrackable murder cases. When she is accused of tampering with evidence, Mackenzie returns to Australia, back to the last place she ever wanted to be – her hometown of Dolphin Cove. Having fled the town six years ago, infamously leaving her ex- fiancée Glenn (Tai Hara) at the altar, Mackenzie is not welcome there.

But with no other job options, and a unique talent for solving a mystery, no matter how challenging, a reluctant Mack joins the team at Dolphin Cove Police Station. Once a case lands on her desk, she can’t rest until she’s figured it out, and the killer is in handcuffs. It’s that tenacity and work ethic that might just, over time, help Mackenzie win over her new colleagues, and the people of Dolphin Cove.

Whether the show counts as a spin-off like Beyond Paradise, or a sister show is up in the air. Either way, it breaks new ground with the casting of the first female lead detective in the “Paraverse.”

Now, the show’s Australian broadcaster have provided a first trailer…

Return to Paradise promises a whole new cast of characters. Anna Samson plays DI Mackenzie Clarke aka Mack, while Tai Hara (Colin From Accounts) is her ex-fiancé Glenn. Lloyd Griffith (Ted Lasso), Catherine McClements, Celia Ireland, Andrea Demetriades (The Artful Dodger) and Aaron McGrath round out the cast.

The show comes from BBC Studios Productions Australia and Red Planet Pictures. The series is co-creators and executive producers are Peter Mattessi, James Hall and Robert Thorogood. The producer is Di Haddon.

The six-part series arrives at the ABC on Sunday 8th September, but there’s no news on a UK airdate yet. We’ll keep you posted.