Return to Paradise series three launches with new faces in Dolphin Cove

Return to Paradise series three launched on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 6 November, bringing Anna Samson back as detective Mackenzie Clarke. The Australian spin-off of Death in Paradise opened with a double bill, giving UK viewers two new cases to catch up with this weekend.

The six-part series returns to Dolphin Cove with changes both at work and at home. Kerry Armstrong joins as Mack’s mother Jillian, while Jacob Collins-Levy plays the town’s new pathologist, Leo Drake. Their arrival comes as Mack is dealing with the absence of Glenn Strong, played by Tai Hara.

How Return to Paradise series three begins

The first episode, Stilled Life, aired at 7.30pm. The BBC’s episode page now lists it as available to watch, with a running time of 56 minutes. Its case centres on an artist murdered during a performance at the Dolphin Cove art fair, putting a death witnessed by an audience at the heart of the investigation.

The official synopsis adds another complication: the victim’s muse, who becomes the principal suspect, has an unexpected connection to Mack. A red jelly baby clutched by the dead artist is among the clues. The episode is written by series co-creator Peter Mattessi and directed by Tenika Smith, with Mark Lee and Tina Bursill among its guest cast.

The second instalment, Built to Kill, followed at 8.30pm. A builder’s fatal fall from a construction-site roof initially suggests an accident, but Mack believes someone has killed him. The puzzle is how a killer could have pushed a man who appeared to be alone.

Written by Alexandra Cullen and directed by Smith, the episode also gives Mack a domestic adjustment to manage as a house guest arrives. Colin is keeping a secret, too. The BBC’s preview describes an investigation involving blackmail and concealed relationships, adding motives to a case whose physical circumstances seem impossible.

A different kind of challenge for Mack

In the BBC’s cast interviews, Samson explains that Mack begins the series feeling responsible for Glenn leaving. Rather than making another attempt to escape Dolphin Cove, she stays and waits, uncertain how to move forward. Her return to police uniform underlines the uncomfortable position she finds herself in.

Jillian’s arrival opens up more of that history. Samson says the mother-and-daughter relationship helps explain Mack’s personality, her feelings about the town and the failed wedding to Glenn. Love remains part of the relationship, even with the resentment and mistrust between them.

Leo brings a different professional temperament. Samson describes an initially awkward pairing between his relaxed approach and Mack’s more exacting manner. With no shared romantic past to negotiate, the new pathologist also creates room to show another side of her. The actor’s account suggests that the personal story will develop alongside the weekly investigations.

Who is back in Dolphin Cove?

Radio Times’ series guide confirms the returning ensemble includes Lloyd Griffith as Colin Cartwright, Catherine McClements as Philomena Strong, Celia Ireland as Reggie Rocco and Aaron McGrath as Felix Wilkinson. Hara also returns as Glenn, so his departure at the end of the previous series has not closed that chapter.

Producer Red Planet Pictures has outlined further mysteries involving a wildlife worker killed inside a locked cage and a film director shot at her own screening. The production brings BBC Studios Australia Productions together with Red Planet for Australian broadcaster ABC, in association with the BBC.

Mattessi co-created the programme with James Hall and Robert Thorogood. Tenika Smith and Helena Brooks direct this third series, with Diane Haddon producing. The new run keeps the same central setting while giving its established team a fresh set of problems to solve.

For viewers returning after a break, the first two series are also on BBC iPlayer. That provides a way to revisit Mack and Glenn’s complicated history before following the new cases and relationships in series three.