Zahra Ahmadi — things you didn't know about the Beyond Paradise star

Zahra Ahmadi is known to millions of Beyond Paradise fans as DS Esther Williams. She's now back on our screen for Beyond Paradise season 3, with Esther and Humphrey (Kris Marshall) once again policing Shipton Abbott.

Talking about what's in store for Esther, she says: "In this series, you see more of a balance between Esther's personal and professional life — she's not just this stickler for the rules. Esther also likes to go on dates, and I'm excited for people to see that side of her.

"She's well and truly used to Humphrey now. She's very fond of him, but there are still moments where he absolutely baffles her, usually with his clumsiness — she's never met somebody so accident-prone."

But what else is there to know about Zahra Ahmadi? We investigate…

Zahra played a murder victim in Death in Paradise!

Zahra played murder victim Daisy Anderson in Death in Paradise season 7 episode 5 and admitted on Sunday Brunch that she was worried this would stop her from getting the part of Esther on Beyond Paradise. "I was a bit nervous about it, to be honest. When I got recalled [for Beyond Paradise] and was doing more and more auditions, I was like, 'Please, nobody bring it up'. And someone said, 'You were in Death in Paradise, right?' and I was like, 'Yeah…' Because I thought, 'How can I do it if I've died? but it's a different universe!"

Luckily, the makers of Beyond Paradise weren’t worried, and Zahra won the part.

Zahra was born near where Beyond Pardise is set

Beyond Paradise is set in the fictional Devon seaside town of Shipton Abbott and Zahra was born in the very real Devon port city of Plymouth. She says living near where the show is filmed is a big plus. "I live here, so for me, the real pleasure has been working from home, which is something that is very rare when shooting. I'm always in a hotel or an apartment, so it's such a privilege to wake up in my own bed. This job has been such a dream for me and I'm proud to be from the West Country. I love the fact that the cast and crew are asking me for tips on where they should visit or where's good to eat and drink."

The show has even filmed in Plymouth. She told us: "One day, we were filming in Plymouth, which is where I’m from. My dad knew I was finishing at a certain time, and he phoned and said, ‘Do you want me to pick you up after work?’ which was just so weird!"

She was in EastEnders

Zahra played Shabnam Masood in EastEnders between 2007 and 2008; the character later returned but was played by a different actor. There's quite a nice link here to Death in Paradise because Zahra’s mother in EastEnders, Zainab, was played by Nina Wadia, who played the girlfriend of DI Jack Mooney in Death in Paradise. EastEnders was her first big role, but Zahra quit after just a year, telling Digital Spy: "I've made the tough decision to leave as I'm still young and I want to try other roles. But I'm really happy the door has been left open for me to return as it has been a great experience."

Zahra played a cop in her first TV role

Zahra's first TV part was as DC Imelda Folks in the ITV drama Trial & Retribution, which was penned by Prime Suspect creator Lynda La Plante. Since then, Zahra's credits have included Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Berlin Station and Count Arthur Strong.

She once took the Beyond Paradise cast around the pubs of Plymouth!

Zahra told us she took some of the cast to the pubs of Plymouth and a gin distillery. "I took a load of people to the amazing gin distillery in Plymouth — obviously, Plymouth gin being the best in the world! It was lovely, and I felt so proud to be from down here when I got to do things like that."

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.