Catherine’s Bar. The Honoré Police Station. The detective inspector’s beach shack. Harry the lizard.
If these references mean anything to you, we see you — you’re a fan of the BBC One TV series “Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise.” One of the most popular series on British television (and a favorite on Britbox in the United States) since 2011, the genial murder mystery is set on a fictional Caribbean Island called Saint Marie. On the show, Saint Marie is a British Overseas Territory populated with many French people. In real life, it’s filmed on the island of Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe.
The plot concerns a detective inspector sent from London to investigate a murder — murders happen with startling frequency on this small island — and asked to take the job and relocate to Saint Marie. If the plots are a tad predictable, those who love it don’t care. “It’s basically a fish-out-of-water story with beautiful scenery,” says Paul Kelley of Barnstable, who’s been watching the show since its inception.
There are plenty of fans just like him. “Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise” brings so many visitors to Guadeloupe, location tours have become a cottage industry. The scenery relies on rain forest, a volcano, a fishing harbor, and gorgeous beaches, often shot at sunset, attracting viewers who want to see the real thing. Alas, you won’t see Harry the lizard; he’s CGI-generated, ‘’but you can see plenty of his real-life cousins,” says Olivier Brudey, owner of Karukera Experiences (www.karukera-experiences.com), who offers food and beverage tours of the island and, as it happens, wildly popular “Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise”-themed excursions.
Brudey’s tours visit three main shooting locations: Catherine’s Bar (actually a real waterfront restaurant called Le Madras that is very good); the Honoré Police Station, formerly the home of a Presbyterian priest, now a full-time tourist attraction (you can buy “DIP” merch there); and the inspector’s beach, a.k.a. Plage de La Perle, a gorgeous stretch of sand where the inspector’s beach house stands. Or not; the shack stands from May through October, when the show is filmed. Then it is disassembled and later re-created for the next season of “Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise.” Brudey usually slips in a visit to the Botanical Garden as well, home to a villa astute viewers will recall as the setting of Detective Richard Poole’s murder.
Although the series is filmed all over Guadeloupe, the village of Deshaies sees most of the action. The stars stay on the island, and hang out around town, but they’re left alone by locals — ”because most local people don’t recognize them,” Brudey says. They don’t watch the show. “It’s mainly a British show with British people.”
Of course, die-hard fans want to be a part of the show. “That’s remarkably easy,” says the guide, who’s appeared on the show as a background actor himself. The production posts casting notices for extras around town; you click on a QR code to apply. They’re looking for extras for their nine episodes, and want a variety of types. Plus, you’ll get paid for it. “I tell everyone who comes on a tour, ‘Come back next year between May and October to be part of the show.’” You’ll need colorful clothes that look good on camera, and no tattoos, Brudey says. Not even a “Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise” tattoo.
