Beyond Paradise: Everything To Know About S4 – And the revelations will leave you SHOCKED
What will happen next in Shipton Abbott, when to can watch and who will star in the cosy seaside police drama we can't get enough of...
If you’re missing the friendly faces and frankly bonkers crimes of Shipton Abbott, you’re not alone. As always, last series – the third in this well-loved spin-off – was over too soon. But all the intel suggests we won’t need to wait long for another trip to Devon and Beyond Paradise...
What do we know about S4 of Beyond Paradise?
While the storylines are of course top secret, we do have some clues about what’s in store for us in the seaside series. Red Planet Pictures – who make the show – have promised, ‘Plenty of puzzling twists and turns’.
But Kris Marshall aka DI Humphrey Goodman dropped the biggest hint of all when he said, ‘We are welcoming back a very well-loved character from season one…’ And he went on to let slip that it is a ‘he’ and that this info was a ‘massive spoiler’.
Fans have the possible returnees as include Phil Daniels aka fisherman Marvellous Harris, or Rufus Jones aka art dealer Terrence Witham but time will tell – if Kris doesn’t first!
What we do know is that there’ll be more unusual crimes to solve and more time spent learning about the dynamics of the people we know and love in Shipton Abbott. And if the launch follows the usual pattern, we expect the series to air around March following the new season of Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise. At least we have a Beyond Paradise Christmas Special to look forward to while we wait.
Who stars in Beyond Paradise?
Kris Marshall as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman
On the surface DI Humphrey Goodman is everything a detective should not be – easily distracted, totally disorganised and someone who tends to put his foot in it more often than not. But he’s actually incredibly good at solving crime thanks to his outside-the-box thinking and unique take on the world.
Kris Marshall first shot to fame as Nick Harper in sitcom My Family (2000) before proving his police chops in Murder City (2004). After his stint on Dᴇᴀᴛʜ In Paradise (2014-2017), Kris embraced period living in Sanditon (2019-2023). On the big screen he went down in cinematic history as Colin in Love Actually (2003).
Sally Bretton as Martha Lloyd
More than just Humphrey’s fiancé, Martha Lloyd is the owner of Ten Mile Kitchen and grew up in Shipton Abbott. Although she is a loving and supportive fiancé, Martha has remained independent when it comes to her business and following her heart. She is an emotional anchor for Humphrey and finds his quirks endearing. They have tried to tie the knot three times, but not quite got there. After failed IVF she is embracing parenting through fostering.
Sally Bretton is certainly a lover of a long running role – she has also appeared as Lucy Adams in the sitcom Not Going Out since 2007. She has a strong background in comedy series including The Office (2001), Blessed (2005) and Green Wing (2004-2006) but has also dabbled in plenty of drama, most recently in The Au Pair (2025).
Zahra Ahmadi as Detective Sergeant Esther Williams
As a local DS Esther Williams wants to care for her community and her on-the-ground knowledge is incredibly valuable – and her professionalism is in contrast to Humphrey’s working style. She has a daughter, Zoe, and tries to balance work and family time. At the station she takes PC Kelby under her wing and they have a sibling-style relationship.
Zahra Ahmadi shot to fame as Shabnam Masood in EastEnders back in 2007, but soon could be found in quirky comedies including Bellamy’s People (2010) and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (2010-2016) and Tracey Ullman’s Show (2016-2018).
Dylan Llewellyn as Police Constable Kelby Hartford
As a born and breed Shipton Abbott resident, PC Kelby Hartford often knows a lot of the people he arrests! Although he seems naïve because he was wrapped in cotton wool as a kid, his honesty is refreshing and he has more confidence than you might initially expect. He proud of his role in the community – and loves feeling like the superheroes he loves watching in the movies.
You might have recently caught Dylan Llyewellyn on his travels during Celebrity Race Across the World (2025) with his mum Jackie, but before that he was a resident of Hollyoaks (2011-2012) where he played Martin ‘Jono’ Johnson and also featured in the spin-off Hollyoaks Later (2013) show. He was also leaning into his youth in Big Boys (2022-2025) for three series.
Felicity Montagu as Margo Martins
Felicity Montagu as Margo Martins in Beyond Paradise
Margo Martins is the office support worker and mother hen – which could well be because she has been through it all herself. Margo is a three-time widow and rarely sees her grown up children. So while she might threaten to retire regularly, the community in the station is what keeps her going. Although you would never guess from the look on her face sometimes!
She’s quick with a put-down but ultimately everyone wants to be her favourite, which is quite the battle a lot of the time. ‘On the surface, she’s very tough on everyone and she doesn’t really want to give much away about herself, underneath it all, I think she lives for them,’ notes Felicity.
Felicity Montagu is a comedy icon as Lynn, the long-suffering assistant of Alan Partridge across the many versions of his shows, from I’m Alan Partridge (1997-2002) to the most recent How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) (2025) and her CV reads like the who’s who of comedy as she has quite literally worked with them all. And Felicity’s familiar with the South West after a stint on Doc Martin (2004-2013).
Barbara Flynn as Anne Lloyd
We meet Anne Lloyd as a widower who is finding a new way of living after losing her beloved husband – Martha’s dad. While she is pretty jolly, Anne is not always very accommodating though we have seen how she has opened up through the series. She easily falls into becoming too involved in Martha’s life and is not afraid to trample though her daughter’s boundaries if she thinks it’s for the best.
A self-admitted lover of playing ‘feisty, strong women’, Barbara Flynn certainly has form on the box! From her TV debut in A Family at War (1970-1972) through A Very Peculiar Practice (1986-1988) to Cracker (1993-1995) and The Durrells (2016-2019) with countless shows in between, she’s a telly regular. And we reckon few people have had as many Dr Who roles as Barbara.
Jamie Bamber as Archie Hughes
Like Martha Lloyd, Archie Hughes grew up in Shipton Abbott and moved away before returning to invest in the area with new a new business. He discovers Martha is back at the beginning of the first series when he, as the owner of three local vineyards, supplies Martha’s café. When he finds out she is struggling to find the capital she needs for the café, he becomes her business partner.
A familiar TV face on both sides of the Atlantic, Bamber started strong with his stint in Hornblower (1998-2001) and in the high-budget Band of Brothers (2001). He was well known for his role as Lee Adama in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) and then hopped back to Britain to play Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in Law & Order: UK (2009-2011). He’s also played detectives in Marcella (2016-2018) and DI Ray (2022-2024).
As well as film roles in English, his degree from Cambridge in Modern Languages has led to a career in French speaking movies as well.
What happened in Beyond Paradise S3?
At work DI Humphrey Goodman continued to show how the smallest details often hold the deepest insights even when faced with crimes as diverse as a chocolate box poisoning and a farming feud. Who said country life was boring?
Away from the station Martha Lloyd and Humphrey are faced with unexpected hurdles as they become foster parents and welcome the arrival of nine-year-old Rosie. Hoping she would stay for longer, they discover how hard saying goodbye is when fostering.
Anne Lloyd faced some painful memories following a health scare, PC Kelby went on a journey of self-discovery and embraced online dating (with the help of Margo) and DS Esther was also pushed outside her comfort zone. And we welcomed a cute pooch to the cast!
What happened in Beyond Paradise S2?
The baffling crimes just kept coming this series while the team had to deal with the threat of local station closure. It meant Humphrey, Esther and Kelby had to deliver results and prove their worth. The cases came from all angles – including a fishing boat mystery and murder on a steam train.
For Humphrey and Martha there were decisions to make about how they would like to create a family if having children of their own was not an option. They started to look into fostering.
‘They’ve been through the mill with IVF, and when they’ve come to the end of that and had the realisation that maybe it wasn’t going to happen for them in the way they’d hoped, rather than pull up the drawbridge, they’re like, “Well, how else can we help?”’ said Kris. ‘There are kids out there who maybe are in transitional periods in their lives with their families and need support and help and a little bit of humour and cuddles and love. And Humphrey and Martha have those in abundance.’
What happened in Beyond Paradise S1?
After proposing to Martha, Humphrey arrived from the Caribbean to the sleepy Devon of Shipton Abbott and started work at the local police station while his fiancée set up her new restaurant. He didn’t impress his new partner DS Esther Williams at first, but through the series they learned to work together and he’s found his place alongside PC Kelby Hartford and office support Margo Martins.
At home there were emotional times as the couple struggled to start a family, learnt to live close to Martha’s mother Anne and how to navigate the return of Martha’s former fiancé Archie.
How does Beyond Paradise relate to Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise?
There is a direct connection between Beyond Paradise and Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise in the shape of Kris. DI Humphrey Goodman was crime-busting on Saint Marie for 30 episodes of Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise after he was drafted in to solve the murder of his predecessor, DI Richard Poole (Ben Miller). He stayed to enjoy Caribbean life when his wife in Britain left him via answerphone (harsh) and became chief inspector of Honore Police Station. He seemed to love island life, but when his new girlfriend Martha returned to the UK he decided to follow her after their nail-biting will-they-won’t-they romance reached its emotional finale in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise in 2017.
And the fans wanted to follow their romance too – Beyond Paradise series one became the UK’s most-watched new drama of 2023, with its first episode launching to a massive 8.7 million audience.
Fun fact: Zara Ahmadi and Barbara Flynn also appeared in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise in different one-off roles.
Beyond Paradise and other Paraverse spin-off Return to Paradise tend to be less violent than Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise, which by its very title necessitates a body every week. As well as quirky crimes to solve, Beyond Paradise draws us into a picturesque coastal setting just like Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise, but about 20 degrees cooler and with less cocktails.
Where is Beyond Paradise filmed?
Although the fictional town of Shipton Abbott is meant to be in South Devon, most of the filming actually takes place in South East Cornwall. The Cornish village of Looe is the backdrop for most scenes with The Guildhall doubling up as the Shipton Abbott police station and Fore Street as the market square.
Other places in easy reach of Looe are used extensively such as the Port Eliot Estate which is where the Manor House is located as well as the Ten Mile Kitchen. Anne’s house is in the grounds of Pentillie Castle and when it comes to a trip to The Weary Friar Inn, the cast decamp to Saltash.
Calstock and Fowey also provide stunning settings for scenes. Rame Head, near Plymouth is a fave filming location for Kris, ‘It offers stunning views and has a fascinating abandoned military site, complete with old tanks and artillery steps. It’s a great spot for filming and after work you can head down to a secret cove for a swim,’ he shares.
Cornwall was chosen for filming as it was less crowded in the high season than some of the possible Devon locations – although the cast still attract a crowd. Zahra – who hails from nearby Plymouth – loves to see fans turn out. ‘It’s nice to have a live audience sometimes,’ she says. ‘When you go to drama school, you train predominantly in theatre, but when you work in TV you don’t always get that live element. So having people watch while we film in places like Looe is special.’
Caroline Blight has been interviewing famous TV faces for magazines and radio since she was a teenager and grown up with some of our faves on film sets and in posh hotels – safe to say they are doing better than her, but who’s having the most fun?
