Published: 28 December 2025
Get ready to spend Christmas in Paradise with the Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise Christmas specials, airing on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this festive period.
From Shipton Abbott to Saint Marie, here’s everything you need to know…
Beyond Paradise Christmas Special 2025
The Beyond Paradise cast promise a festive surprise for Humphrey and Martha fans and “a very Christmassy story that warms the cockles” in the 2025 Christmas Special.
When Esther discovers a man on the steps of the Shipton Abbott police station with no memory, holding a photo of Humphrey, the team gets to work to uncover who the mysterious man is while balancing a flurry of festive cases.
At the same time, with the help of Anne, Zoe and a special guest, Martha races to pull off her secret plan while Kelby tries to help a mystery man trapped inside his snowman costume. But with an influx of unexpected visitors, a slew of holiday crimes to crack, and a heartwarming reunion on the line, can the team juggle it all and still be ready for a life-changing reveal?
(L-R) Annie (Emma Stansfield), David Haleton (Adrian Edmondson) Image: BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Joss Barratt
Meet Beyond Paradise’s Christmas Special Cast
In Shipton Abbott, the guest arrivals docking into the Devon seaside town for the holidays include Adrian Edmondson (Alien: Earth), James Lance (Ted Lasso) and Jonny Weldon (One Day).
They’ll be joining Kris Marshall (DI Humphrey Goodman), Sally Bretton (Martha Lloyd), Zahra Ahmadi (DS Esther Williams), Dylan Llewellyn (PC Kelby Hartford), Barbara Flynn (Anne Lloyd), Felicity Montagu (Margo Martins), Jamie Bamber (Archie Hughes) and Melina Sinadinou (Zoe Williams) to serve up another helping of yuletide cheer.
When is the Beyond Paradise Christmas 2025 special on TV and BBC iPlayer?
We’re heading to Shipton Abbott on Sunday 21 December on iPlayer and BBC One from 9pm.
Death in Paradise Christmas Special 2025
(L-R) Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson), DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) Image: Credit: BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Philippe Virapin
The Death in Paradise Christmas Special cast tease a festive special with “plenty of humour, but even more heart” as we return to Saint Marie for another year of festivities.
The office Christmas party of a lifetime takes a dark turn when four co-workers wake up with the hangover from hell to find a stranger shot dead in the pool of their villa. DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) and the team – DS Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) and Officer Sebastian Rose (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) – identify the murder weapon, but they’re left baffled when they find that it was locked in a drawer when the shooting took place… thousands of miles away from the crime scene, in Swindon! How is that possible? And why did the victim have the name of one of Santa’s reindeer inked on his palm?
The suspects all claim to have never met the victim. But can they be trusted? As the team are led deeper into a web of secrets and criminality, it becomes clear that they’ll need all the help they can get to solve this baffling case. Perhaps an old colleague spending Christmas in the UK can be tempted to lend a hand…
Meanwhile, Saint Marie’s festivities are gearing up. The annual nativity is afoot, and Mervin has a part to play. But the DI has other things on his mind. Months back, he reached out to his newly discovered brother but still hasn’t received a response. Can Mervin resolve his family situation and get into the festive spirit – for the sake of his team and the island?
(L-R) Gavin Bradbury (James Baxter), Karen Hickson (Pearl Mackie) Image: BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Philippe Virapin
Josie Lawrence (Outside Edge), Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead), Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who), James Baxter (Waterloo Road), Billy Harris (Ted Lasso), Oriana Charles and Alix Serman will be joining Don Gilet (DI Mervin Wilson), Shantol Jackson (DS Naomi Thomas), Ginny Holder (Officer Darlene Curtis), Shaquille Ali-Yebuah (Officer Sebastian Rose) and Élizabeth Bourgine (Catherine Bordey) for Christmas in the Caribbean as they head to Saint Marie and Swindon…
When is the Death in Paradise Christmas Special 2025 on TV and BBC iPlayer?
We’re heading off to solve festive mysteries in Saint Marie on iPlayer and BBC One from 8.30pm on Sunday 28 December.
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