BBC Unveils Massive Guest Star Lineup for Death in Paradise & Beyond Paradise Christmas Specials 2025

The BBC announced on November 18, 2025, a star-studded guest lineup for the upcoming Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise Christmas specials, featuring legends including Pearl Mackie, Josie Lawrence, Adrian Edmondson, and James Lance joining the festive episodes.

Key Highlights

• Death in Paradise welcomes Josie Lawrence, Kate Ashfield, Pearl Mackie, James Baxter, Billy Harris, Oriana Charles, and Alix Serman.
• Beyond Paradise adds Adrian Edmondson, James Lance (Ted Lasso), and Jonny Weldon (One Day) to the Devon festivities.
• Both 2025 Christmas specials remain officially scheduled despite the high-profile casting boost.

An official BBC synopsis for Death in Paradise states: “The office Christmas party of a lifetime takes a dark turn when four co-workers wake up to find a stranger dead in the pool of their Caribbean villa... but the murder weapon was locked in a drawer thousands of miles away in Swindon.”

Death in Paradise Guest Cast Revealed

The Saint Marie Christmas special sees Don Gilet’s DI Mervin Wilson lead the investigation alongside regulars Shantol Jackson, Ginny Holder, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, and Élisabeth Bourgine.

Joining them are:

• Josie Lawrence (Outside Edge)
• Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead)
• Pearl Mackie (Doctor Who)
• James Baxter (Emmerdale, Waterloo Road)
• Billy Harris (Ted Lasso)
• Oriana Charles
• Alix Serman

The episode also features Mervin grappling with personal news from his newly discovered brother while solving the impossible Swindon-linked murder.

Beyond Paradise Welcomes Comedy and Drama Heavyweights

In Shipton Abbott, Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton return as Humphrey Goodman and Martha Lloyd, supported by the full regular cast: Zahra Ahmadi, Dylan Llewellyn, Barbara Flynn, Felicity Montagu, Jamie Bamber, and Melina Sinadinou.

Guest stars confirmed for the Devon special include:

• Adrian Edmondson (The Young Ones, Bottom, Alien: Earth)
• James Lance (Ted Lasso)
• Jonny Weldon (One Day)

The plot centres on an amnesiac man found holding Humphrey’s photo, Martha’s secret plan, and Kelby Hartford’s battle with a man trapped in a snowman costume.

What This Means for Fans and the Franchise

This dual casting coup represents the strongest guest lineup in Paradise history, signalling the BBC’s full commitment to elevating both shows into permanent holiday institutions.

With Pearl Mackie and James Lance bridging Doctor Who and Ted Lasso audiences, Adrian Edmondson bringing comedy royalty, and Josie Lawrence returning to BBC drama, the corporation is aggressively expanding the franchise’s demographic reach ahead of Death in Paradise season 15 and Beyond Paradise season 3 in 2026.

Industry insiders report the Christmas specials are now projected to exceed 13 million combined viewers across BBC One and iPlayer, cementing the Paradise universe as Britain’s most bankable festive programming outside strictly soaps and royal events.

The strategic pairing of established TV legends with the shows’ new leads — Don Gilet and the expanded Beyond Paradise ensemble — effectively bridges old and new eras of the franchise while maximising international streaming appeal on BritBox.

Both Christmas specials will air in December 2025 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with global rollout on BritBox following shortly after UK transmission.