Beyond Paradise first Christmas special

Christmas Eve is the time to settle down and wrap those final presents, and what would be nicer than watching the first Beyond Paradise Christmas special?

As the countdown to Christmas begins, residents of Shipton Abbott are left stunned as a string of bizarre burglaries occur overnight. When DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi) investigate the break-ins, it soon becomes clear that these are no usual smash-and-grab cases. With a lack of evidence to go on except a mysterious pile of ash at each location, the team are stumped…

To make matters worse, CS Charlie Woods (Jade Harrison) and Police HQ are breathing down the necks of the small station team to prove their worth. Feeling the pressure, are the detectives able to crack this baffling case, or is their beloved station at risk of soon facing closure?

Back in town, as Office Support Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu) decorates the station office, PC Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn) is tasked with babysitting a cheeky young shoplifter (Isaac Vincent-Norgate), who apparently goes by the name of Rishi Sunak…

Meanwhile, as the Christmas market gets the community into the festive spirit, Esther’s teenage daughter, Zoe (Melina Sinadinou), is less than impressed as she’s made to work in Santa’s Grotto dressed as an elf. And elsewhere, a chance encounter gives Martha (Sally Bretton) food for thought about what the future could hold for her and Humphrey…

If you’ve any time before, the BBC has extensive notes on this, as well as various interviews. This episode also stars James Fleet, Amalia Vitale, Kulvinder Ghir, Sheila Reid, Chris Jenks, Eva Feiler and Bellowhead.