Mark Benton, James Faulkner, Suzanne Packer and Levi Roots also star in BBC One’s sun-soaked ratings smash, Death In Paradise

Red Planet Pictures, creators of hit BBC One crime drama, Death In Paradise, announced today that the talented array of guest stars in the upcoming series will include Simon Callow (Amadeus), Sian Gibson (Car Share) and Denis Lawson (New Tricks).

Filmed on the French-Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the award-winning drama returns to BBC One for a seventh series in the New Year. Pulling in a record audience of over nine million last year, Death In Paradise has cemented its position as one of BBC One’s highest rating dramas, with Ardal O’Hanlon reprising his role as Detective Inspector Jack Mooney.

Other guest stars heading to paradise in the new series include Mark Benton (Waterloo Road), James Faulkner (Game of Thrones), Levi Roots (Caribbean Food Made Easy) Suzanne Packer (Casualty), Charlotte Beaumont (Broadchurch), Harry Richardson (Poldark), Adjoa Andoh (Doctor Who), Richard Harrington (Hinterland, Lark Rise To Candleford), Richie Campbell (Liar), John Sessions (The Loch), Katy Wix (Not Going Out), Steve Toussaint (Prince of Persia) and Zoe Boyle (Sons Of Anarchy).

Set on the idyllic tropical island of Saint Marie, the hotly anticipated seventh series sees the return of series regulars Josephine Jobert, Danny John-Jules, Tobi Bakare, Elizabeth Bourgine and Don Warrington for more baffling murder cases and warm hearted Caribbean fun.

DI Jack Mooney is adapting to island life while also playing poker masterminds at their own game and uncovering secrets and lies within a famous reggae band, whilst DS Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert) tackles runaway suspects. Meanwhile, romance could be in the air for Officer Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules) but will he finally meet his match? Elsewhere a secret from Officer JP Hooper’s (Tobi Bakare) past returns to haunt him.

Tim Key, Executive Producer of Death In Paradise said: We’re delighted to welcome so many famous faces for what promises to be a fantastic series of Death In Paradise. We’ve got the perfect weather for a post-Christmas treat – and some of our most puzzling puzzles ever! We can’t wait for the audience to see what the team are up to this year…

Death In Paradise has been commissioned for BBC One by Charlotte Moore, Director of Content, and Piers Wenger, Controller of Drama Commissioning, and is a Red Planet Pictures production, produced with the support of the region of Guadeloupe. It is created by Robert Thorogood, produced by Sue Howells and executive produced by Tim Key for Red Planet Pictures and Christopher Aird for the BBC.

The seventh series will air in early 2018.