Beyond Paradise season 3: release date, cast, plot and more

Beyond Paradise season 3's Humphrey and Martha at dinner

(Image credit: BBC/Joss Barratt)

Beyond Paradise season 3 will see more mysteries for DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) to crack in the hugely popular Death in Paradise spin-off. And we know it's coming out in March! Yes, the long wait is almost over!

The latest series and Christmas special drew in big audiences, with over seven million watching the opening episode as Humphrey finally got his chance to investigate his first murder in Shipton Abbott.

We saw him form a close bond with his team: DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu) and PC Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn). While Humphrey and Martha (Sally Bretton) talked of marriage (more of that later).

Tim Key, executive producer for makers Red Planet Pictures, said: "The response to series two has been fantastic. So much love goes into the making of the show and we’re delighted that the audience have enjoyed it so much. We can't wait to get back to Shipton Abbott for another series to continue the story and learn more about our characters and the town they live in — I can promise that we’ll be making the viewers laugh, cry, laugh a bit more and then baffling them with a series of ingenious puzzles. There will also be a duck."

Here's everything we know, please note there are spoilers in the the plot section if you've not watched all of the previous series...

Beyond Paradise season 3 release date

Beyond Paradise season 3 will begin on BBC One on Friday, March 28 at 8.00 pm, with episodes also being made available on BBC iPlayer. The first episode airs just before the finale of Death in Paradise season 14. It will be available on BritBox in America, but we don't have a release date as yet.

Plot

Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) stand on the beach, him in his wedding suit and her in her wedding dress. He is sliding a ring onto her finger and they are both smiling. Standing around them in a semi-circle are Charlie Woods (Jade Harrison), Zoe Williams (Melina Sinadinou), Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu), Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn) and Anne Lloyd (Barbara Flynn) — The almost wedding (Image credit: Red Planet Pictures/Joss Barratt)

OK, so the big question is will Humphrey and Martha actually get married? In the final episode of series two, the pair were meant to get hitched, but Martha's mum ended up being overbearing and organized a grander affair than the couple wanted.

So they decided not to get wed, with Humphrey asking Martha if she'd do him the honor of not marrying him today, and Martha telling him it would be a pleasure. So, this opens up various potential plot lines. Will the couple decide marriage isn't for them? Could they do a Death in Paradise tie-up and get hitched on Saint Marie? Weirdly the wedding wasn't even mentioned in the Christmas episode!

The BBC has revealed some plot details, with the biggie being that Jamie Bamber returns as Martha's ex Archie. Might Archie try and tempt Martha away from Humphrey again?

Teasing the new series, the BBC says: "The team faces a host of baffling cases in the upcoming series, including a body discovered in a river on the county border, a perplexing chocolate box poisoning, a long-standing farming feud, and a spiking incident at sea. Away from the police station, Martha and Humphrey must overcome unexpected hurdles as foster parents, while the reappearance of Martha’s old flame Archie presents an unexpected challenge. Meanwhile, Esther experiences a surprising twist in her personal life, Anne confronts painful memories following a health scare, and Kelby embarks on a transformative journey of self-discovery."

Cast

Archie in Beyond Paradise season 3 — Jamie Bamber returns as Archie (Image credit: Joss Barratt/BBC)

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton star again. Also in the cast are Zahra Ahmadi (The Bay, Tracey Ullman's Show, EastEnders) as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn (Big Boys, Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu (This Time with Alan Partridge, Landscapers, Vanity Fair) playing office support civilian, Margo Martins.

Jamie Bamber returns as Archie Hughes, Martha's old flame. The guest cast includes Hugh Dennis (Outnumbered) as local councillor Arthur Donelan, Steve Oram (DI Ray) and Gabby Best (Changing Ends) as Humphrey and Esther's Cornish policing counterparts, plus Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Caroline Quentin (Men Behaving Badly) as farming rivals George Ellis and Lotty Lewes.

Beyond Paradise season 3 Humphrey and Arthur (Hugh Dennis) running — Hugh Dennis is among the guest stars (Image credit: BBC/Joss Barratt)

Is there a trailer?

No, not yet!

Beyond Paradise season 3 behind the scenes and more

Beyond Paradise season 3 guest stars Kevin McNally and Caroline Quentin as farming rivals George Ellis and Lotty Lewes — Kevin McNally and Caroline Quentin as farming rivals George Ellis and Lotty Lewes (Image credit: BBC/Joss Barratt)

Created by Robert Thorogood and Tony Jordan, Beyond Paradise is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International and is produced by Red Planet Pictures, part of the Asacha Media Group company, which was recently acquired by Fremantle. Tony Jordan, Tim Key and Belinda Campbell are executive producers for Red Planet Pictures, Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC and Robert Schildhouse and Stephen Nye for BritBox International. Lindsay Hughes is producer.

Beyond Paradise is internationally distributed by BBC Studios, with series one and two successfully selling to 135 territories worldwide to date.