Plenty of familiar TV faces are coming onboard for the festive Death in Paradise special, with the cast having now been confirmed by the BBC and including the likes of\u00a0Patsy Kensit (EastEnders<\/a>), Doon Mackichan (Two Doors Down) and Youssef Kerkour (House of Gucci).<\/p>\n Also joining the Christmas cast are Geoff Bell (The Curse), Bronagh Waugh (Ridley), Amelia Clarkson (The Last Kingdom), Freddy Carter (Shadow and Bone) and Leila Khan (Heartstopper).<\/p>\n Of course, the new characters will be joining the beloved Death in Paradise cast that is led by Ralf Little as DI Neville Parker, with the likes of Don Warrington, Shantol Jackson, Tahj Miles, Ginny Holder and \u00c9lizabeth Bourgine all reprising their roles also.<\/p>\n And it wouldn\u2019t be a trip to the sunny shores of Saint Marie without a murder case, would it? Well, the episode will centre on a family grappling with the murder of entrepreneur Gerry who are then delivered another twist when a friend of the family goes missing.<\/p>\n Neville is still grappling with the betrayal of last season, believing that love may not ever find him \u2013 but he\u2019s soon paid a visit by his encouraging mother who tries to instil some confidence in him.<\/p>\n According to the synopsis for the Christmas episode: \u201cWhen entrepreneur and family man, Gerry Stableforth (Bell), is found dead in a ravine, his family \u2013 wife, Bella (Kensit), children Benjamin (Carter), Mariana (Clarkson), and niece Riley (Khan) \u2013 are left in shock.<\/p>\n \u201cAs DI Neville Parker, DS Naomi Thomas, Officer Marlon Pryce and Trainee Officer Darlene Curtis set to work on cracking this mysterious death, things take a turn as the family\u2019s visiting digital marketing guru, Debbie Clumson (Waugh), suddenly disappears. Once news of Debbie\u2019s disappearance reaches home, her hapless partner, Dave (Youssef Kerkour), is determined to find out what happened to her.\u201d<\/p> It continues: \u201cMeanwhile, Neville\u2019s larger-than-life mum, Melanie (Mackichan), arrives on the island to spend Christmas with her son in the sun. Quickly striking up a fabulous friendship with Catherine Bordey, the pair take the Saint Marie dating scene by storm. But not before Melanie attempts to impart some words of wisdom upon her love-scarred son, who is battling the notion that some people just aren\u2019t meant to find love, with him being one of them\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cAlso taking notes from Neville\u2019s mum, Naomi attempts to loosen up and focus on herself outside of work \u2013 but is she about to make things awkward between herself and a close friend at the Christmas party? And is Neville the man responsible for putting an awkward stop to Commissioner Selwyn Patterson\u2019s big Christmas lights switch on?\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Last year\u2019s Christmas special was seen by 8.5 million viewers, which made it one of the UK\u2019s top titles across the festive period, so it\u2019s likely that this year\u2019s episode will follow suit. Once more, the episode has been filmed on the island of Guadeloupe and will be a taste of what\u2019s to come in the forthcoming season, which will air in 2024.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a good time to be a Death in Paradise fan, with the original series continuing to go strong, as well as new spin-off Beyond Paradise<\/a> proving to be a very welcome addition to the TV schedules.<\/p>\n![\"Geoff](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/11\/death-in-paradise-2023-christmas-cast-a441d5c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"death-in-paradise-2023-christmas-cast\\"\/")
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