24 December 2023 , 08:00
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DI Humphrey Goodman will tackle a bizarre new case on the Beyond Paradise Christmas special.
The Christmas special of the much-loved BBC drama starring Kris Marshall will air this evening (Christmas Eve) and will see Humphrey and his team tackle a spate of bizarre burglaries. Zahra Ahmadi (DS Esther Williams), Dylan Llewellyn (PC Kelby Hartford), Barbara Flynn (Anne Lloyd) and Felicity Montagu (Margo Martins) are all returning for Christmas special ahead of a second series.
There will also be several guest stars including some famous faces such as James Fleet (The Vicar of Dibley), Isaac Vincent-Norgate (Sanditon), Amalia Vitale (Endeavour), Kulvinder Ghir (Still Open All Hours), Sheila Reid (Benidorm) and music group Bellowhead.
Shipton Abbot has turned festive for Christmas (ITV)In a first look clip obtained by The Mirror, fan favourites PC Kelby Hartford and Margo Martins are seen discussing Christmas presents as the team tackle a case of multiple burglaries - but who's committing them and will it ruin the team's festive celebrations?
Zahra Ahmadi - who plays DS Esther Williams - previously teased what fans can expect from the Christmas special and series two. She said: "It's like season one but upgraded. It's amped up. It goes into all of our characters a bit more. It goes into the backstory of our characters and things. So the focus really is on the crime but you get to know everyone that bit more."
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Kris previously explained how "grateful" he and the team were for being given a Christmas special after just one series.
Margo and Kelby discuss their Christmas traditions (ITV)Ahead of the festive special, he said: "It’s a great honour to be granted a Christmas special for what was, this year, a new show," he shared. "I really feel privileged – as I think we all do, because usually it takes two or three series to bed in and to be granted a Christmas special. To get that at the end of our first series was a real boon for us."
Whilst it looks very festive in Shipton Abbot, the scenes were actually filmed in the summer. "It was hot. I know a lot of the other cast had to wear Christmassy, wintery clothing - like mittens and Christmas jumpers - but I maintained that Humphrey, as is his character, wouldn’t wear coats or jumpers. He just wears the same thing all the time," he explained.
"So, I got away with it a bit! Although I had to act cold, because not wearing the warm clothing meant I had to pretend that it was chilly and I wasn’t wearing the adequate clothing for it."
The Beyond Paradise Christmas special will air on BBC One on Christmas Eve at 9pm.