Death in Paradise stars call for more Christmas special episodes

"The Christmas special was phenomenal last year, but this one just takes it to a whole new level."

By George Lewis and Daniel Kilkelly

26 Dec 2022

shantol jackson, tahj miles, chelsea edge, ralf little, death in paradise christmas special

BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon

Death in Paradise stars Ginny Holder and Tahj Miles have called for more Christmas special episodes.

The second festive special for the BBC’s detective show airs tonight (December 26), with the pair, who play Darlene Curtis and Marlon Pryce respectively, hoping for further holiday episodes in the future.

“The Christmas special was phenomenal last year, but this one just takes it to a whole new level. I think it would be great if the Christmas special were something that happened every year,” Holder told Digital Spy and other press.

death in paradise s12,06 01 2023,generics,generics,darlene curtis ginny holder,red planet pictures,denis guyenon

Denis GuyenonBBC

“The story this year is actually quite heartbreaking in moments. It's a Christmassy, 'families coming together' type story – with a murder tied in obviously!”

Miles, who has been a part of the main cast since the 10th series, added: “The more we do it, the better it will get – the same as the regular series. We've been doing the regular show for 12 years now and it gets better every single year. This is only the second Christmas special and we've already upped the level compared to last year.”

The plot for the special, which precedes the upcoming 12th series, sees Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington) confront his past following the murder of a true crime podcaster.

tahj miles as marlon pryce, death in paradise, season 11 episode 8

BBC

Holder, who joined the main cast in the 11th series, teased the elements of the special, revealing it had a familial aspect: “The murder in the story makes me want to cry just thinking about it. It's this family element in the story. There's a beautiful family tie that comes around.

“I don't think anyone will be able to guess the trail of the story. It's just about human beings and relationships. Yes it's about Christmas, but there's a really touching story at the end of it.”

Miles, who also appeared in Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe, expanded by saying: “It's a really personal story. Christmas is a time for getting together as a family. The main theme of the story is if you're watching it as a family, the story is going to make you feel even more impacted as a family from start to finish.”

Death in Paradise returns on Boxing Day on BBC One followed by series 12 from January 6, 2023. A spin-off, Beyond Paradise, is in production.