Beyond Paradise star really missed key thing about Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise as he responds to special cameo

There was a reunion on Beyond Paradise as a Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise star made a surprise cameo. It was a trip down memory lane for all involved, and it brought back fond memories for Kris Marshall.

BBC’s detective drama returned on Sunday (21 December) with its third Christmas special, and it proved to be a memorable evening as Don Warrington reprised his role as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in a cameo appearance.

It was a poignant moment for Marshall, who reunited with Warrington for the first time since his departure from Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise in 2017.

“I’d always particularly enjoyed my scenes with Don,” Marshall told RadioTimes.com. “I’ve also been on stage with him, in Glengarry Glen Ross in the West End, but particularly in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise, I always found we just had such delightful scenes together.

“That’s one of the things I really missed about not doing Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise anymore, so having gone back and recreating [it] with the same sort of obtuseness… I think it intrigues Humphrey, he finds it quite wry. I’m always delighted to do more scenes with Don.”

The reunion was facilitated by Humphrey Goodman’s (Marshall) wedding to Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton), with Selwyn being parachuted in as a surprise best man for his former colleague.

Naturally, the commissioner’s laconic demeanour was unchanged despite the big occasion, with Marshall explaining that such an attitude was all part of the charm when it comes to Selwyn.

“You don’t really know what he does – he just glides around being charming and sort of slightly obtuse,” said the actor. “Humphrey always found that quite odd and intriguing. Rather than being insulted or offended by Selwyn, it’s sort of like reverse charm.”

While the festive special is now over, the detective drama will return next year with its fourth season, though we still don’t have a release date. Filming got under way earlier this year, so we don’t think it will be too long before Humphrey and co are back on screen.

Beyond Paradise and Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise both air on BBC One and stream on BBC iPlayer.