Roz Laws hears that shooting the BBC’s long-running drama Death in Paradise is ‘not all cocktails and sunsets’
It sounds like a dream TV job, filming on an idyllic Caribbean island known for its golden beaches, waterfalls and rum distilleries. As Death in Paradise executive producer Tim Key says: “It’s the job for which people have the least sympathy in the world, quite rightly. It’s a lovely place to work, but it is hard work. It’s not all cocktails and sunsets.”
He took a thrilled RTS Midlands audience through the challenges of making the hit BBC One drama on Guadeloupe, from the intense heat and volcanic ridge, which makes it tricky to get around, to coming up with an ingenious puzzle to solve for each episode.
The event was held to celebrate the Midlands talent on Death in Paradise: new lead detective Don Gilet is from Walsall and Key is from Bewdley in Worcestershire. Key was joined on the night by Don Warrington, who has played Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in all 14 series.
Death in Paradise, in which a misfit British police detective figures out murders on the fictional island of Saint Marie, attracts more than 7 million viewers in the UK, has sold to 230 territories and spawned two spin-offs.
The series finale at the end of last month was screened on the same night as Beyond Paradise began its third season, in which former Saint Marie sleuth DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) solves crimes in Devon. In development is a second series of the Australian spin-off Return to Paradise.
Key, executive producer since 2014, explained the working conditions for Death in Paradise: “We shoot on a British schedule – no con- cessions to the heat. Our original detective, Ben Miller, really struggled in a suit. We cut the back out of his shirt to make it cooler. He would ask, ‘Can I take my jacket off in this scene?’ We’d say no, because his character never would. We nearly killed him.” Warrington added: “We had a tent at the back of the set with full air conditioning where Ben would retire at every opportunity. I wear a full, heavy suit – but I can bear it.”
Key described his role: “My job is to make sure that the show is always what everyone expects, but also to keep it fresh. Every episode can’t be the same.
“The puzzles are incredibly hard to come up with. Everyone thinks they can do it, but lots of writers have not been able to get through the process. We’re proud to build on classics of the genre like Agatha Christie and especially Murder, She Wrote. We go back to that most often. We don’t steal but we are inspired.”
As well as the location, cast and ingenious plots, Key said a crucial part of the series’ success is the music. “Magnus Fiennes, Ralph’s brother, has composed the music from the start. He chose and arranged the theme tune, ‘You’re Wondering Now’, and composes all the subtle cues that set the tone. He also introduced us to the band Bellowhead for Beyond Paradise. He’s an enormous part of the show.”
And so is Warrington, Key said. “It’s amazing working with Don and watching the effect he has on people. One year, we met a family on La Perle beach, on holiday for the mum’s 50th birthday because she was a huge fan.
“When Don came out, this family went crazy, including the husband, who hadn’t been that bothered. He said Don was one of the first people he had seen on TV, in the 70s sitcom Rising Damp, who wasn’t white – and it had had a profound effect on him. It was so unusual then, to see someone of colour who was educated, charming and lusted after.”
