Death in Paradise has dropped a major hint that a fan favourite will return in Sunday's sixth episode.
The vital clue is buried in the preview for the next episode — "an old face returns to Saint Marie".
"An old face" suggests a key character from the show’s past will be back. The team has an obvious opening because Marlon left at the end of episode five.
Marlon has departed for Jamaica because his sister has landed a scholarship at a school there and he needs to look after her. The Commissioner did some serious string-pulling and managed to get Marlon a police job on the island.
Now, the obvious "old face" to fill Marlon’s shoes is Officer Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules). Dwayne, last seen in the 2021 Christmas special, could slot into Marlon’s job and become a member of the team again. There’s a further hint in the plot tease for this episode that it could be Dwayne. The BBC states that not everyone is happy to see Dwayne back. Dwayne and Darlene had a relationship, but it didn’t work out and it’s more than possible that she wouldn’t be that keen to see him back.
We also know that Ralf Little, who plays DI Neville Parker, has stated his love for working with Danny John-Jules and how he was always welcome back on the show.
But of course, it might not be Dwayne coming back. There's been a few mentions of Florence in the current series, including Neville looking longingly at a photo of her. Florence is currently in witness protection but that situation could change allowing her to make a return.
The main thing counting against this theory is where would she fit into the team currently? If Naomi, rather than Marlon, had left, then she could easily have slotted into her old job. However, there’s no vacant position. Also, why would someone not be happy to see her back?
What about DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall)? Well, there’s already been one crossover between Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise, which saw Humphrey back on Saint Marie. So, could this be another? Again the only problem is why on earth would anybody not be happy to see Humphrey back?
Sarah Martins has already briefly reprised her role as Camille Bordey in the first episode of the current series. So, might she be making a return? However, with a newborn baby in Paris it feels unlikely it's her.
The whole preview for Sunday’s episode from the BBC reads: "The team are confounded when a tourist is stabbed whilst travelling down one floor, all alone, in a hotel lift. It transpires that the victim was severely ill, and coming to St Marie had been on her bucket list. But the case takes an even stranger turn when the team discover the victim’s written bucket list, and travelling to the Caribbean is nowhere to be found!
"As the team start to investigate the victim’s loved ones, they discover a family with numerous skeletons in their closets — whilst an ominous woman watches everything unfold from the shadows. Meanwhile, an old face returns to St Marie, but isn’t met with open arms from everyone."
Death in Paradise season 13 continues on Sunday at 9 pm on BBC One.
