In Death in Paradise this week, DI Mooney and the team investigate the fatal shooting of a coffee plantation owner
In Death in Paradise this week, DI Mooney and the team investigate the fatal shooting of a coffee plantation owner
So far, Ruby’s rookie errors have been easy to gloss over.
But tonight, as the team investigates the murder of a coffee plantation owner, Ruby (Shyko Amos) lets slip to JP that she was once arrested after an incident involving a goat.
JP is horrified – you can’t be a police officer with a criminal record, and he hates keeping secrets…
Ruby needs to ’fess up to the Commissioner – can he get his niece off the hook?
Meanwhile, Jack indulges in an evening of illegal crab racing (only on this show!) and there’s a nasty surprise in store for Florence, when she visits the ‘magical’ spot where her parents married. Watch out, too for Anna Chancellor in her guest role as the victim's sister.
TV Times rating: ****
We visit the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe to discover what goes on behind the scenes…
A flat-pack shack
The inspector’s shack is on La Perle beach, a short drive from the police station, but it’s not permanent. ‘We rebuild it every year,’ explains executive producer Tim Key. It takes two weeks to construct and is used for both exterior and interior shots.
Community service
The police station was previously a parish community centre next to the church in the town of Deshaies. ‘We get on well with the priest; we’ve worked with him since the beginning,’ says Tim. ‘We built him a new office to say thank you.’
Nudity and floops
It gets hot and sweaty filming in Caribbean sunshine… ‘People are soon wandering around topless,’ says Tim.
'Floops – fruit-flavoured drinks made of shaved ice – are very popular, too. They’re delicious!’
You can eat at Catherine’s Bar!
The show’s bar is a real beachside restaurant called Le Madras, frequented by locals and serving wine, seafood and desserts. A five-minute walk from the police station, it was rebuilt by the production team after being damaged in last year’s hurricane.
Local talent
While many of the guest stars fly in from the UK, all of the supporting artists are locals. ‘I think at the start they were baffled by us, then when French TV started showing Death in Paradise it all made sense,’ says Tim.
A virtual lizard!
SPOILER ALERT! Harry the lizard isn’t a real creature: it’s all CGI trickery! ‘Ardal O’Hanlon, [who plays DI Jack Mooney] has to film those scenes looking at a little silver ball instead,’ laughs Tim.
