Return to Paradise returns to BBC One tonight with a double-episode premiere, but fans will have to wait an extra week for the third instalment because Children in Need 2026 takes over the schedule on November 13.
The Australian Death in Paradise spin-off, starring Anna Samson as Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke, launches its six-episode series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from November 6. The first two episodes air from 7.30pm until 9.25pm.
No episode on November 13
Return to Paradise will be absent from BBC One on November 13, with Children in Need 2026 occupying the schedule from 7pm to 10pm. The series is due to resume the following week in its regular Friday slot.
Following the departure of pathologist Glenn Strong (Tai Hara), Mack and Senior Constable Colin Cartwright (Lloyd Griffith) take on more seemingly unsolvable murders. The detective pair investigate an artist stabbed before a live audience, a wildlife worker killed inside a secured cage, and a film director shot during her own screening.
New characters and guest stars
Viewers will meet fresh characters including Mack's rebellious mother, Jillian (Kerry Armstrong), and new pathologist Leo (Jacob Collins). Each episode features Australian guest stars from Robert Mammone to Bruce Spence.
The synopsis for the opening instalment reads: "Resident wedding ruiner Mackenzie Clarke is paying the price for Glenn's absence. With Phil offside and a disastrous first impression made with new pathologist Leo, she's not winning any popularity contests in Dolphin Cove. So when an artist dies on stage in front of an audience during an avant-garde performance piece for the local art fair, Mackenzie is dismayed to find that their main suspect, the victim's muse, has a surprising and complicated connection to her."
Anna Samson said her character is in an emotionally fragile state at the start of the series: "The big pain for her is that Glenn has left Dolphin Cove and she feels hugely responsible. For the first time, she's not trying to run away from Dolphin Cove, she's sitting in a kind of self-inflicted punishment as a form of penance. She's back in uniform; she's sitting it out hoping that Glenn will come back because she doesn't feel she can move forward without him. She's in a state of limbo."
She added that the arrival of Mack's mother offers insight into her character: "It offers a lot of insight into who Mack is, why she is the way she is, why she doesn't like Dolphin Cove, and particularly about the failed wedding to Glenn. Any more would spoil the surprises."
Viewers have shared their excitement on X, formerly Twitter, with one writing: "Something on the BBC worth watching on Friday nights at last!" Another added: "Omg yayyyy! ! Friday nights just haven't been the same." A third said: "Fabulous news. I can't wait."
