The Death in Paradise Christmas special 2023 is on its way to BBC One on Boxing Day in a Christmas TV highlight — and Neville's mum Melanie (played by Doon Mackichan) arrives on Saint Marie!
Yes, the third festive edition of the hit BBC One drama will see DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little) taking dating advice from his mother and solving a new case.
Stars Ralf Little and Don Warrington (Commissioner Selwyn Patterson), spoke about making the Christmas special.
Asked what they liked most, Don said: "That we’re all back together again! We haven’t seen each other for months, so there’s a buzz and excitement to this episode."
Ralf adds: "It also feels like a luxury because we’ve got 90 minutes to spend with the characters. But do you know what depresses me the most about filming a Christmas special? The presents under the tree are just empty boxes — psychologically, that’s a real downer!"
The BBC has already ordered a 2024 Christmas special as well. Plus we also know that there will be a fourteenth series in 2025. And there's also the first Beyond Paradise Christmas special to enjoy as part of this year’s festive telly. That will feature DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and it will be interesting to see if the festive edition has any more crossovers with Death in Paradise.
Here's everything we know…
Death in Paradise Christmas special 2023
The Death in Paradise Christmas special 2023 will air on Boxing Day on BBC One at 9 pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer. The Beyond Paradise Christmas special meanwhile is airing on Christmas Eve on BBC One at 9pm. Death in Paradise season 13 looks like coming our way in February.
A US release date is also still to be announced, but it's going to be soon on BritBox.
Death in Paraidse Christmas special plot
Well, last year Neville ran into Sophie at the airport, and well, let’s just say that relationship didn’t go entirely to plan! We know that Neville is newly single and once again nursing a broken heart. And now we have some official plot details...
"When entrepreneur and family man, Gerry Stableforth (Geoff Bell), is found dead in a ravine, his family — wife, Bella (Patsy Kensit), children Benjamin (Freddy Carter), Mariana (Amelia Clarkson), and niece Riley (Leila Khan) — are left in shock. As DI Neville Parker, DS Naomi Thomas, Officer Marlon Pryce and Trainee Officer Darlene Curtis set to work on cracking this mysterious death, things take a turn as the family’s visiting digital marketing guru, Debbie Clumson (Bronagh Waugh), suddenly disappears. Once news of Debbie’s disappearance reaches home, her hapless partner, Dave (Youssef Kerkour), is determined to find out what happened to her.
"Meanwhile, Neville’s larger-than-life mum, Melanie (Doon Mackichan), arrives on the island to spend Christmas with her son in the sun. Quickly striking up a fabulous friendship with Catherine Bordey, the pair take the Saint Marie dating scene by storm. But not before Melanie attempts to impart some words of wisdom upon her love-scarred son, who is battling the notion that some people just aren’t meant to find love, with him being one of them…"
Talking about what time of mum Melanie is, Ralf tells us: ""It's funny — Neville is the way he is because when he was a kid he was allergic to everything and he was a little bit coddled, so his mum had to look after him. But the character that arrives in the show is almost the exact opposite of what you'd expected — she's really fun-loving and free-spirited! She's actually a little bit like, 'Neville, come on, maybe when you were a kid you needed to be a bit more insular, but it's time to live life a bit more'. She's kind of the antithesis of him, and slightly embarrassing to him!"
Death in Paraidse Christmas special cast
Ralf Little is back as DI Neville Parker. Also returning is Shantol Jackson as DS Naomi Thomas, Tahj Miles as Officer Marlon Pryce, Elizabeth Bourgine as Catherine and Don Warrington as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson. The guest stars are Patsy Kensit (EastEnders), Doon Mackichan (Two Doors Down), Youssef Kerkour (House of Gucci), Geoff Bell (The Curse), Bronagh Waugh (Ridley), Amelia Clarkson (The Last Kingdom), Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone) and Leila Khan (Heartstopper).
Is there a trailer?
Sadly not yet.
