Kris Marshall has confirmed his future as Detective Humphrey Goodman in Beyond Paradise, putting an end to fan speculation that his character might be leaving the show.
Fan Concerns Addressed
Last week's episode showed Humphrey revealing to his superior who he would be letting go, leading numerous fans to believe it was himself. Taking to a Facebook fan page, one viewer theorised: "We're convinced Humphrey is resigning." Another commented: "He can't leave, he's my favourite detective," while a third chipped in: "Won't be the same without Humphrey." A further fan shared: "Humphrey is going to sack himself."
However, in a new interview, Kris appeared to confirm his return to the Death in Paradise spin-off. The actor made the revelation to Chris Evans on his programme TFI Friday Unplugged.
Interview Revelation
Chris Evans opened: "Beyond Paradise is great, right? And I think it's all the greater for the fact that you are like you are right. It's a square peg in a round hole. And that's fun, isn't it?" Kris responded: "It's quite a mad little show, and I love it."
The radio presenter pressed on: "We're in season four now, 5,6,7 (seasons), that's probably where it's gonna be and where it's gonna go, and you'll all be happy at the end of maybe six series. Do you think they could really stir it up in season five?" Putting speculation to rest, Kris confirmed: "Well, we're about to start shooting season five."
When quizzed by Chris on what he "thinks of it", the actor quipped: "Well, I mean, how long can a marriage last?" He was quick to clarify: "I am kidding, I am kidding. I am not gonna give away spoilers, they haven't even written it yet."
Season Four Finale
The fourth series of Beyond Paradise draws to a close on Friday, with one character apparently heading for the exit. In the preview clip for Friday's finale, Anne spoke to Martha about Humphrey: "He seems quite chipper considering the circumstances," she said. Cutting to another scene, Humphrey declared: "New starts all around." "I can't work with this, Mr Smith," Kelby fumed before Esther said to Humphrey: "This can't really be it."
The official synopsis for Friday's episode states: "It's Humphrey's last day as detective inspector, and the whole team is eagerly awaiting the town's annual pirate festival." Danger, however, is ahoy when Geraldine Desai's nautical exhibition goes up in smoke, leading to the ancient treasure map of pirate Elias Cutler going missing amid the chaos. On the trail of the missing map, Humphrey soon has suspicions when he discovers that Geraldine has been selling her memorabilia to pay for her husband's care and recently had the map revalued.
Beyond Paradise is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
