Christmas is coming to Death In Paradise but that doesn’t disrupt business as usual in Saint Marie.
A podcaster is murdered whilst investigating the disappearance of a child. It’s a case that’s haunted Selwyn for many years, and now Neville and the team must lay its ghost to rest.
The cast answer some spooky questions for us
Ralf Little (DI Neville Parker)
The Christmas special has quite a spooky storyline – what can you tell us about it?
The nice thing about a Christmas special is that everyone understands that you can be a bit more playful or experimental – or special, even – with the tone. We have ninety minutes instead of an hour, so we can give storylines time to develop. They went bold this year with the script. Don’t worry, it’s not a massive departure from the usual Death in Paradise story. We still know what people enjoy about the show, but it’s a good old-fashioned Christmas ghost story with clever twists. It has a scary tone, but it’s in keeping with the world of the show. It was fun to film and I think people are going to enjoy it.
Shantol Jackson (D.S. Naomi Thomas)
The Christmas special has quite a spooky storyline surrounding the historic case of a missing child – what can you tell us about it?
It is a case from Selwyn’s past which has come back to haunt him, funnily enough, and the team are of course on hand to assist him in solving the murder. Because it’s set at Christmas, which is when people tend to tell ghost stories, it’s even spookier. I am very excited for people to watch it and see how they respond to it.
Do you believe in ghosts, and have you ever had a paranormal experience?
I do not believe in ghosts and have always warded off paranormal experiences as I do not want to have one. I am not interested in having any type of interaction with anyone or anything from the other side. I know of people who have had those experiences, some scared by it, some not. But for me personally, no, nor would I want to…
Tahj Miles (Officer Marlon Pryce)
The Christmas special has quite a spooky storyline surrounding the historic case of a missing child, with Marlon having to sleep in a ‘haunted house’ – what can you tell us about it?
It’s interesting, because as much as it is a beautiful, caring and sentimental piece about family, it also doubles as a horror story too, with Marlon staying in a haunted house which I loved. It’s a nice hybrid between Christmas and a thriller. It works brilliantly, the scary elements incorporated in a Christmassy theme is something I have never seen done before!
Would you like to stay in a haunted house?
No, never, there is no way. There are some things I wouldn’t mind trying just to see what happens, but this is not one of those things. I kind of believe in paranormal activity, so I don’t want to be involved!
The Death In Paradise Christmas special is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer
