Production is officially underway on a second instalment of ABC’s Return to Paradise, the local spin-off of UK murder mystery series Death in Paradise.
The six-part whodunit, produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia in partnership with Red Planet Pictures, follows on the heels of its top-rated debut season – it was as the leading local drama for the ABC last year.
Anna Samson returns to lead the cast as Detective Sergeant Mackenzie ‘Mack’ Clarke, who is longing to get back to the UK and the life she’s always craved.
But for now she’s stuck in Dolphin Cove, dodging her ex-fiancée Glenn’s (Tai Hara) upcoming wedding after overhearing his unexpected declaration of love in the series one finale – a confession that she can’t unhear.
Luckily for Mack, her compulsion to solve impossible cases serves as a great distraction, and there’s no shortage of murders to investigate.
Joining Samson and Hara once again are Lloyd Griffith, Catherine McClements, Celia Ireland , Andrea Demetriades and Aaron McGrath, as well as Death of Paradise star Ardal O’Hanlon, who returns as Jack Mooney.
Guests this season include Danielle Cormack, Meyne Wyatt, Roz Hammond, Justine Clarke, Michelle Lim Davidson, Greg Stone, Zoe Carides, Simon Lyndon and Miah Madden, as well as Tim Rogers lead singer of You Am I.
Return to Paradise is commissioned by the ABC in association with the BBC. The series is created and executive produced by Peter Mattessi, James Hall and Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood, and produced by Diane Haddon.
Season two was written by Mattessi, Alexandra Cullen, Alexandra Collier, Chelsea Cassio and Marisa Nathar, with Tenika Smith and Helena Brooks to serve as directors.
Executive producers include Kylie Washington and Sophia Zachariou for BBC Studios Productions Australia, Belinda Campbell and Tim Key for Red Planet Pictures, and Rachel Okine and Brett Sleigh for ABC.
Washington, EVP and general manager of global entertainment for BBC Studios ANZ, said she was delighted audiences had enjoyed Return to Paradise, and was excited to get started on a second season.
“Our beautiful beach and bush have provided the perfect backdrop for intriguing, entertaining mysteries with a distinctly Australian twist that have been enjoyed by audiences in 99 countries around the world,” she said.
Filming will take place once again in the Illawarra coastal region as well as Sydney’s northern beaches and across the city.
Return to Paradise will air the ABC later this year and will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. BBC Studios is handling global distribution.