While all kinds of atrocities occur on Death in Paradise, it’s difficult not to be sidetracked by the BBC show’s stunning environment.
The detective drama, which has captivated audiences since its launch more than a decade ago, is set on the fictional island of Saint-Marie but is filmed on Guadeloupe, the Caribbean.
Lucky for the actors, this means they can base themselves in paradise while filming the show, with DI Neville Parker star Ralf Little stating he spends the most of his time there.
‘I sort of live [a flat in King’s Cross, London] and sometimes in the States because my other half is American. But, to be honest, in the past three years the place I have spent the most time is Guadeloupe,’ he told The Times in 2023.
‘The island is my home as much as anywhere now and I feel a deep connection to it. Sitting on the terrace watching the sun go down, it’s a pretty special job.’
We bet!
Here’s all you need to know about Guadeloupe, including directions to the Death in Paradise site.
Where is Death in Paradise filmed?
The BBC detective series is shot on Guadeloupe, a collection of 12 islands in the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles, six of which are inhabited.
The archipelago, an overseas French department, is located south of Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and north of Dominica.
Basse-Terre, the region’s main city, is located on the southern west coast of the same-named island, although Les Abymes, the region’s most populous city, is located on Grande Terre.
While it may appear to be paradise, shooting has been fraught with difficulties in recent years, with Hurricane Irma even halting production midway through season seven in 2017.
Ardal O’Hanlon, the show’s former star, previously spoke to Radio Times about the bad weather, stating, “We were lucky that the worst of the storms missed us.”
‘We had Irma, a nasty one called Jose and then Maria, which was the real monster. It wiped out nearby Dominica, which was really sad.
‘But the team is prepared for it: there are people tracking the hurricanes very closely.’
How can you visit?
Guadeloupe’s primary international airport is located at Pointe-à-Pitre, on the island of Grande-Terre.
You can travel to the airport from London Heathrow or Manchester, but there are no direct flights available, so you will need to make at least one layover.
The travel, including one transfer, may take as little as 12 hours.
If you’re wanting to reduce your carbon footprint, Guadeloupe is a popular stop on Caribbean cruises.
Speaking about meeting Death in Paradise fans in Guadeloupe, Ralf told The Times last year: “We have people who come out to the island just to visit the locations because they love the show.”
‘It’s such a tricky place to get to — unless you’re French— and if ever I see people hanging about on the fringes of a location and I have a couple of minutes I go over and say hi.
‘I might even take them on a secret tour of the police station. By the end of the series I’m sort of a tour guide with a sideline in being an actor. A lot of Brits, French . . . in 2022 we had people from Holland, Belgium, Poland, Canada, Germany, Los Angeles — people travel from all over.’
Death in Paradise airs tonight at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Source My Celebrity Life.