Who’s who in Beyond Paradise: the main cast, the characters they play, recurring faces and every guest star from Series 1 to Series 4 and the Christmas specials.
| Actor | Character | Role in Shipton Abbott | Also known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Marshall | DI Humphrey Goodman | Detective Inspector | My Family, Love Actually |
| Sally Bretton | Martha Lloyd | Café owner and Humphrey's partner | The Office, Absolute Power |
| Zahra Ahmadi | DS Esther Williams | Detective Sergeant | EastEnders, Count Arthur Strong |
| Dylan Llewellyn | PC Kelby Hartford | Police Constable | Hollyoaks, War Horse |
| Felicity Montagu | Margo Martins | Police office support | I'm Alan Partridge, Bridget Jones's Diary |
| Barbara Flynn | Anne Lloyd | Martha's mother | A Family at War, The Beiderbecke Trilogy |
| Jamie Bamber | Archie Hughes | Martha's former partner and business connection | Hornblower, Band of Brothers |
Recurring cast includes Jade Harrison (Chief Superintendent Charlie Woods), Bella Rei Blue Stevenson (Rosie), Jamie Bamber (Archie Hughes), Amalia Vitale (Hannah Owen), Eva Feiler (Nurse Lucy Thompson), Melina Sinadinou (Zoe Williams), Vincent Franklin (James Smith), Gina Bramhill (Amelia). Guest stars for every episode are in the cast-by-episode guide, or open a series: Series 1 cast · Series 2 cast · Series 3 cast · Series 4 cast.
Character descriptions are original Coastal Clues editorial commentary, not official programme biographies or publicity copy.
A perceptive investigator whose untidy presentation masks a precise eye for contradictions. Beyond Paradise follows Humphrey after his Saint Marie years as he makes a home and a working life in Shipton Abbott.
Played by Kris Marshall
Open character file →Martha's return to her home area gives the series its emotional and community anchor. Her ambitions, family ties and history with Humphrey connect the police stories to everyday Shipton Abbott life.
Played by Sally Bretton
Open character file →
Esther supplies local knowledge, steadiness and a useful counterweight to Humphrey's apparently improvised methods. Their partnership is one of the programme's defining working relationships.
Played by Zahra Ahmadi
Open character file →
Earnest, observant and rooted in the community, Kelby often handles the practical threads that turn a strange incident into usable evidence.
Played by Dylan Llewellyn
Open character file →
Margo's dry candour and command of the station's practical life make her much more than a desk-bound observer. She is often the person least impressed by official fuss.
Played by Felicity Montagu
Open character file →Anne brings curiosity, warmth and her own independent storylines to the family side of the series. Several riverside settings associated with her are filmed on the Pentillie Estate.
Played by Barbara Flynn
Open character file →
Archie's arrival complicates Martha's new start by connecting her café ambitions with an unresolved part of her past.
Played by Jamie Bamber
Open character file →Try a name or relationship.
Separate the continuing six-person ensemble from recurring and one-off performers.
Open the cast register →See roles that return across multiple published regular-episode credits.
Browse recurring roles →Open sourced actor profiles with every linked case-file appearance.
Browse guest stars →A growing credit-checked register, beginning with the first Shipton Abbott case.
Beyond Paradise stars Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman, Sally Bretton as Martha Lloyd, Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn as PC Kelby Hartford, Felicity Montagu as Margo Martins, Barbara Flynn as Anne Lloyd, with Jamie Bamber as Archie Hughes. Recurring cast includes Melina Sinadinou as Zoe Williams, Eva Feiler as Nurse Lucy Thompson and Phil Daniels as Marvellous Harris.
There is no sign of it. Kris Marshall is back as DI Humphrey Goodman for Series 5, which the BBC confirmed in April 2026. He spoke about being about to start shooting the new run, and local papers reported him filming on the streets of Looe in late July 2026. Any change after Series 5 has not been announced.
The biggest change so far came in Series 4, when Jade Harrison's Chief Superintendent Charlie Woods was written out as having transferred elsewhere. Zoe Williams also heads off on an eight-month trip abroad in the Series 4 finale, though that is a story exit rather than a confirmed cast departure. No other regular has been reported as leaving for Series 5.
On screen, Charlie Woods has simply moved to another division before Series 4 begins, leaving Humphrey answering to a new boss. Neither the BBC nor Jade Harrison appears to have given a public reason for the exit, so any explanation beyond the in-story transfer would be guesswork. She appeared in Series 1 to 3 and the Christmas specials in between.
DI James Smith, played by Vincent Franklin, arrives in Series 4 as Humphrey's new superior and tells him the station must lose one officer. By the finale he is exposed for siphoning Shipton Abbott's money to another station and for an affair with a fellow officer, and he is dismissed. Kris Marshall has praised Franklin as a brilliant nemesis for Humphrey.
No departure has been reported for Dylan Llewellyn's PC Kelby Hartford. The Series 4 storyline threatened a job cut at Shipton Abbott station, but Humphrey offered himself rather than sacrifice a colleague, and once James Smith was unmasked the team stayed intact. Full Series 5 cast details have not been confirmed by the BBC.
Zoe, Esther's daughter, leaves Shipton Abbott at the end of Series 4 to travel abroad for about eight months, leaving her mum a map that leads to a reunion with Archie. Whether Melina Sinadinou appears in Series 5 has not been confirmed, so treat it as a character going travelling rather than a confirmed exit from the show.
No. Far from being axed, Beyond Paradise was renewed for a fifth series in April 2026, again made by Red Planet Pictures with BritBox International as co-commissioner. Filming took place over the summer of 2026 in Devon and Cornwall, including Looe. The BBC has given no indication that Series 5 will be the last.
Yes. Series 5 was commissioned in April 2026 and cameras rolled from July, with filming spotted in Looe that month. It is expected on BBC One and iPlayer in 2027, most likely in the spring slot the show has used before, but no date has been confirmed. As of mid-October 2026, no 2026 Christmas special has been announced.
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