Following the huge success of the first series of Red Planet Pictures’ Beyond Paradise, which became the UK’s most successful new drama launch of 2023 so far, audiences will be gifted a Christmas special this December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Kris Marshall (DI Humphrey Goodman), Sally Bretton (Martha Lloyd), Zahra Ahmadi (DS Esther Williams), Dylan Llewellyn (PC Kelby Hartford), Barbara Flynn (Anne Lloyd) and Felicity Montagu (Margo Martins) all return to Shipton Abbott alongside an exciting guest cast.

Starring in this festive episode are actors James Fleet (The Vicar of Dibley), Isaac Vincent-Norgate (Sanditon), Amalia Vitale (Endeavour), Kulvinder Ghir (Still Open All Hours), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and Bellowhead. Chris Jenks also returns to play Josh Woods, with Jade Harrison as CS Charlie Woods and Eva Feiler as Lucy.

As the residents of Shipton Abbott gear up for Christmas, Humphrey and the team are baffled by a series of bizarre burglaries which aren’t quite what they seem. However, when the team make a breakthrough with an unexpected connection, it’s a bittersweet discovery that makes them reconsider the true meaning of Christmas.

Back at the station, Kelby is forced to babysit a cheeky young shoplifter and Humphrey feels the pressure when CS Charlie Woods continues to question why their beloved local police station should remain open. Meanwhile, navigating the trials and tribulations of family life, Esther’s teenage daughter, Zoe (Melina Sinadinou), is less than impressed when she is made to work in Santa’s Grotto. And a chance encounter gives Martha food for thought about the future…

Filmed in and around the idyllic British counties of Devon and Cornwall, series two of Beyond Paradise will return in 2024 delivering much-loved heart-warming relationship stories and puzzling criminal capers.

Created by Robert Thorogood and Tony Jordan, the Christmas special and second series of Beyond Paradise is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International and is produced by Red Planet Pictures, part of the Asacha Media Group. Tony Jordan, Tim Key and Belinda Campbell are executive producers for Red Planet Pictures, Danielle Scott-Haughton for BBC and Reemah Sakaan and Stephen Nye for BritBox International. Lindsay Hughes is producer.

Beyond Paradise is internationally distributed by BBC Studios. The first series of Beyond Paradise is available to watch now on iPlayer in the UK, and on BritBox International in North America, Nordic markets and in South Africa.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001jg5h/beyond-paradise