Death in Paradise will see its second spin-off series – Return to Paradise – air later this year which will be set in Australia and welcome the franchise's first female lead detective.
The latest series will see Anna Samson take on the role of DI Mackenzie Clarke as she attempts to solve a whole host of mysterious murders in her hometown of Dolphin Cove.
Her arrival back to her hometown comes after her reputation was damaged as she was accused of tampering with evidence in London, but her return is not necessarily welcomed.
After six months of waiting, the Home and Away star was announced as the lead star, alongside cast members including Lloyd Griffith (Ted Lasso), Tia Hara (Home and Away), Catherine Clements and Celia Ireland (Wentworth).
The official synopsis for the series – which currently has no release date – reads: "Return to Paradisefollows DI Mackenzie Clarke, 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.
Anna Samson previously starred in Home and Away
CHANNEL 5
“Having fled the town six years ago, infamously leaving her ex- fiancée Glenn (Hara) at the altar, Mackenzie is not welcome here.
“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.”
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, said: 'Everything we all love about Death in Paradise - the humour, the beautiful scenery, the likeable characters, the ingenious plots - now in a fabulous Australian setting'.
Ralf Little previously said goodbye to his character Neville Parker
BBC
“I cannot wait for BBC viewers to be introduced to Detective Mack and the good (and not so good!) folk of Dolphin Cove. What a treat we have in store!”
Fans were similarly excited, with one reacting to the news on X: "Lets go. Congratulations Anna Samson can't wait to watch another series from the #UniverseofDeath by @robthor."
"The more the merrier, it's a [thumbs up] from me," added a second before a third weighed in: "This looks really cool and super interesting! I still have four series to get through of the main show, and the first two series of Beyond Paradise. But I’m also really excited for this as well now!"
Meanwhile, another echoed: "Ohhh, very much looking forward to this and seeing if they add a new twist to how they do the reveal to make it different from #deathinparadise and #beyondparadise." (sic)
The announcement of Return to Paradise comes after Kris Marshall returned as Humphrey Goodman for the first spin-off, Beyond Paradise, as well as Ralf Little parting ways with his character DI Neville Parker.
Fans are still eagerly waiting to see who will step into Little's shoes, with Diane Morgan being bookmakers' frontrunner.
Little played the role for four years and was the longest-running lead detective on the BBC show, but recently opened up on his decision to leave.
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The BBC has confirmed a second spin-off series
BBC
After Neville Parker and Florence Cassell (played by Josephine Jobert) sailed away together to give their relationship a go, Little said: “You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed.
“If it was just a heart decision I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years. But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed.
“He deserved a happy ending and it just felt right,” he told BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt.
