DEATH IN PARADISE s14 - Fri 31st Jan. 9pm bbc. TV PACE NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

yah. It’s back. For 8w

We're transported back to the tropical island of Saint Marie, and this time with a new Detective Inspector in place - but will DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) remain in the job for long?

Following the recently cracked case of ‘who shot the Santas?’, along with the revelation that his estranged mother has passed away, Mervin is ready to get back home and leave the island for good.

But when a case close to the hearts of those at the station presents itself, is he tempted to extend his stay?

As Mervin continues to ruffle feathers, the police team pull together to solve some of the island’s most confounding cases yet.

And making their mark across the series is a host of fantastic guest stars including: Tobi Bakare (Kingsman), reprising his role of Sergeant JP Hooper, Michelle Greenidge (Kaos), Joy Richardson (Dreamland), Stephen Odubola (Boiling Point), Anthony J. Abraham (The Acolyte), Simon Lennon (Our Girl), Bhavna Limbachia (Brassic), Adam James (The Day of The Jackal), David Avery (Gangs of London), Sofia Oxenham (A Very Royal Scandal), Patricia Allison (Sex Education), Imogen King (Love Rat), David Mumeni (Bridgerton), Madeline Appiah (In The Long Run), Siobhan Redmond (Two Doors Down), Chantelle Alle (Hijack), Rita Bernard-Shaw (The Power), Bobby Gordon (Three Little Birds), Tony Marshall (Casualty), Charlotte Spencer (The Gold), Tala Gouveia (McDonald & Dodds), Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge (Holby City), Gerard Horan (Detectorists), Judith Jacob (The Five), Lily Nichol (Renegade Nell), Lyndsey Marshal (Inside Man) and more.

Elsewhere, Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington) must deal with momentous news from the Chief Commissioner in Jamaica that rocks the police department to its very core.

As an unexpected foe attempts to enforce the unfathomable, Catherine (Elizabeth Bourgine), in her role as Mayor, acts as the last line of defence in a battle to save the team as we know it.

In an unexpected twist, Naomi (Shantol Jackson) finds herself at an emotional crossroads when an old flame from St Barnabas makes a surprising appearance on the island, while Darlene (Ginny Holder) becomes a mentor when a new officer joins the ranks, but is left questioning whether she’s the right person for the job.

And with the opportunity to learn more about his mother’s life, Mervin begins to discover things may not be all that they seem in Saint Marie. As everything he thought he knew unravels, will his life ever be the same again?

Death in Paradise was the UK’s most watched returning drama in 2024 across all broadcasters and streamers, with last year's series watched by over 8 million viewers. BBC Studios, who distribute the series, have now licensed Death in Paradise to over 230 territories across the globe.

Following the successful launch of spin-off series Beyond Paradise in 2023, the Death in Paradise franchise has built on its international success with new Australia-set spin-off series for the ABC - Return to Paradise, which launched last year on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.

Filmed on the French Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe, Death in Paradise continues to delight audiences with the perfect blend of exciting escapism, puzzling mysteries, and juicy plot twists set against an idyllic sun-drenched backdro

I like Naomi, her patience is life affirming as are her outfits.

I much prefer Naomi to Florence. Ds and I were delighted when she left! I’m liking Mervin more than Neville as well.

I disagree about the rape. It’s so common that it would be odd if there was never one in the island. For my 18yo ds it was certainly sobering

We prefer Melvin , we had stopped watching during the Neville years . Naomi has definitely grown on me .

Loved that also. A nice comic touch. I wondered if it was always written that he just appeared, or someone happened to notice, and they wrote it into the script.

(Sorry, meant to quote the poster about Selwyn turning up like a ninja).

Instead of having a commissioner for St Marie, wasn’t there talk of one for all the islands?

I hate to be disloyal to Selwyn but I can see why they question the need for commissioner. All he does is commission new staff every now and rhen

But he won’t be new to post because surely if it was a new job then Selwyn would have applied for it .

Maybe he (or she) had already been appointed when they announced the new post?

That’s not great employment law!

it could be that they picked a commissioner from a bigger island and gave them the remit of some smaller ones too.

And nit pick

He is more involved than he used to be

This looked like the same plot as a couple of weeks ago - improbable injury causes improbable delayed death.

And now Catherine and her arm bracelets are introducing a football match too!

We are still on series 8 and it’s always the same plot with small variations. Does it get better? I watch it for the location and the fact that it’s gentle and calming, but really the scripts are just awful.

Yes they’re all locked door mysteries so there is a lot of repetition ultimately. There are always 3 or 4 suspects

I too watch it for the fact it’s easy and nice scenery and it’s just a habit DS and I are in really

To be honest, no. You might want to skip to season 9 and see if you prefer DI Neville Parker. I do think Ardal O'Hanlon's acting was particularly clunky. There is always terrible acting/scripts in Death in Paradise. I'm struggling a bit with the current series because the acting/scripts are pretty bad, the pacing is slow and awkward and the murders sre even madder than usual. There are always just enough redeeming features to keep me watching though. I like the scenery and the characters and the mysteries can be intriguing.

I'm struggling a bit at the moment too, Catherine is really grating on me, I don't want Selwyn to leave even though he can be annoying and doesn't seem to do much and the murders seem more unlikely than ever. I like Melvin and the interactions with Darlene and Naomi, and the new officer though.

I disagree about the rape storyline too, it happens, it was a realistic element in the context it was used, if there is a murder every week then it is highly likely there will be other serious crimes going on.

Actually it was towards the end of Ardal O’hanlon that we gave up as the crime was always solved by some obscure object that he happened to notice at the crime scene but nobody else did ( including the viewer) .

I’m just glad they didn’t make the new inspector another bumbling eccentric tbh

ardal o’hanlon also broke that but agree towards the end the acting and scripts were really poor. I always thought Florence was a dreadful actor too!

DS makes me fast forward when Catherine appears

Catherine is getting far too much to say these days. It was just about bearable when she was just running the bar - even then she was poking her nose into stuff that didn't concern her.
I don't want another will they won't they romance between Naomi and the new inspector.
I just watch it as a bit of silly escapism and nice scenery.

I'm just starting series 10. I agree that it is very formulaic and slightly soap opera-ish, but I like the scenery too and in the short and dark winter days in the UK it does remind me that spring and summer are (hopefully) only just around the corner.

I’m not sure I understand why Selwyn’s commissioner role is being supposedly being got rid of only for the role to be replaced! I hope it’s because Don Warrington wants to leave.

If Selwyn actually leaves, I'll eat my hat.

I seem to remember some talk of having one commissioner to cover all the islands, rather than each one have its own.

Yes, that was mentioned in an early episode.

I don’t get it either

why is he leaving

we don’t want a replacement for him

Don Warrington is 72.

I hope if he's leaving, or cutting back on Paradise it's to enable him do more stage work.