Australia-Set Death in Paradise Spin-Off to Air on BBC One

An Australia-set spin-off of Death in Paradise, titled Return to Paradise, is set to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, as well as ABC Australia.

The spin-off will center on Australian expat Mackenzie Clarke, seemingly the golden girl of the London Metropolitan police force. When she is forced to move back to her childhood home of Dolphin Cove, which she had vowed never to return to after leaving someone at the altar, she ends up helping with a local murder investigation.

Return to Paradise, set to begin filming next year, is created and executive produced by Peter Mattessi, James Hall and Robert Thorogood and is being written by Mattessi. The production comes from BBC Studios Productions Australia and Red Planet Pictures. BBC Studios is handling global distribution.

The new spin-off follows the success of Beyond Paradise, the U.K.-set spin-off of Death in Paradise that launched on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in February 2023.

Sue Deeks, head of BBC program acquisition, said: “Everything we all love about Death in Paradise—the humor, the beautiful scenery, the likeable characters, the ingenious plots—now in a fabulous Australian setting. I cannot wait for BBC viewers to be introduced to Detective Mack and the good (and not so good!) folk of Dolphin Cove. What a treat we have in store!”

Alex Jones, joint managing director of Red Planet Pictures, added: “We are so proud of the global success of both Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise—each selling to hundreds of territories, watched by millions and regularly claiming the position of top-rated drama in most of them. Return to Paradise is a brilliantly exciting new addition to ‘The Paraverse,’ which we are sure audiences will love just as much. It is a completely original drama but takes the essence of what viewers love about Death in Paradise—the fish-out-of-water premise coupled with the most cleverly plotted murder mystery—and gives it a uniquely Aussie flavor. We are thrilled to already have the BBC on board as broadcast partners for the show in the U.K., which means that us Brits will be sure to get to meet Mackenzie and the residents of Dolphin Cove!”