Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish - reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!
Last week, I reviewed the most recent seasons of Vera. Tina didn't enjoy Vera, the TV series, but did like the books and is currently watching London Kills.
Similar to my experience with Vera last week, I watched Death in Paradise in the past ( 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021) but lost track of my streaming access for a bit. At various times, I've watched Death in Paradise on broadcast TV (PBS), on Netflix, and on DVDs from the library.
February into March is a great time to watch this series set on the fictional island Saint Marie in the Carribean. It's the perfect antidote to our gray and cold days in Missouri.
One of the things I like about this show is how well it manages to survive major cast changes. In Season 11, we had a lovely transition that saw a loss of one cast member and a gain of two more. The cast stayed stable in Season 12, although there were some hints about a potential change in the future, one that I would enjoy seeing. The news that I've seen about Season 13, so far, indicates that the current cast will continue.
While I was looking for information about Season 13, I discovered that BBC One is currently airing a spin-off show. Beyond Paradise is set in southern England, featuring Kris Marshall who has reprised his role as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman. Goodman was the DI on Saint Marie for Seasons 3 through 5, returning to London in the midst of Season 6. In Beyond Paradise, we get to follow his career as it resumes in England. The first three episodes are available on BritBox now.
Here's a hint for anyone watching Death in Paradise on Amazon Prime / BritBox. The Christmas specials show up last in the Season 11 and 12 line-ups, but they were aired before those seasons. So, if you want to see the story in order, watch the Christmas specials first.
Have you seen this show? What did you think?
About Joy Weese Moll
a librarian writing about books
