Sounds Familiar

“Look, I’ll be honest with you, this whole Caribbean thing, I mean, I’m sure it’s very nice, but uh… well, it’s not really my idea of, uh… yeah. So, as soon as I’ve solved this case, and I’ve got my luggage, I’m on the next plane home. I can’t think why they sent me.” – DI Richard Poole (Ben Miller), confiding in Sgt. Lily Thompson (Lenora Crichlow), DEATH IN PARADISE (“Arriving In Paradise”)

Sounds Familiar

“I’m a police officer. I’m a police officer and I want a cup of tea.” – DI Richard Poole (Ben Miller), throwing his weight around, DEATH IN PARADISE

Monday Montage

What’s happening, what’s on and what’s interesting this week …

Follow the journalists of India’s only all-female news network as they uncover their nation’s political inequities. Join INDEPENDENT LENS for the Oscar-nominated film WRITING WITH FIRE – tonight at 10 on PBS NC.

It’s a very good feeling! There’s a change.org petition to get Mr. Rogers inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.

Discover how lies about election fraud have made their way to the center of American politics. Tune in as FRONTLINE reveals THE PLOT TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION – Tuesday at 10pm on PBS NC.

Wednesday Trivia Question

What is the name of the fictional island that’s the primary setting for the series DEATH IN PARADISE?

Ah, DEATH IN PARADISE – the Franco-British crime drama with a revolving door DI policy. The premise? Essentially, a beautiful tourist destination in the Lesser Antilles needs a UK copper to be its lead detective because apparently no one in the Caribbean went to sleuthing school. The series, now in its tenth season, is a powerhouse property. Each episode may feature deaths galore but it’ll be hard to kill a program that replaces regular characters as quickly as the actors move on to other jobs. Seriously, aside from Don Warrington and Élizabeth Bourgine, no actor has appeared throughout the entire series (and Bourgine was only recurring in series one). Also, one should not discount the appeal for guest stars to film in the French Caribbean. (Note: The program has been renewed and will be broadcasting new episodes at least into 2023.)

Where Do I Know That Actor?

DEATH IN PARADISE is back with a new season of episodes. This week, DI Mooney and his team were called in to investigate when the Coffee King of the Caribbean met an untimely end. Along the way, viewers caught sight of a handful of guest stars from other UNC-TV fare.

Robert Portal was Benedict Dacre, kingpin of Paradise Skies Coffee. A little over ten years back, he played Paul Critchley, Conservative Party leader, on The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard.

Louis Greatorex played Benedict’s son, Owen. Greatorex was also Caroline’s son Lawrence on Last Tango in Halifax.

Where Do I Know That Actor?

For a change of pace we’ll eschew MIDSOMER MURDERS for a week and focus on another whodunit series with a high guest star quotient: DEATH IN PARADISE. (Hey, I guess when your agent calls with a job offer on a sunny Caribbean island, only a fool declines.) This week’s episode saw the isle of Saint Marie’s Day of the Dead celebrations interrupted by the usual murder and mayhem. It also gave DI Jack Mooney and team a chance to meet a trio of guest stars you might have recognized.

Danny Rahim played Finn Anderson, husband of the victim. He’ll best be known to UNC-TV viewers for his role as DC Tariq Lang on DCI Banks.

Where Do I Know That Actor?

Saturday night’s episode of DEATH IN PARADISE (in which the leader of a spiritual retreat met an untimely end) presented a few guest stars worth mentioning. By no means are these household names but that’s the point – you see a face on a TV show you vaguely recognize from somewhere and you ask yourself, “Where do I know that actor?”

Sam Hoare played Daniel Friend, the owner of the spiritual retreat. (And, yes, that’s the same Sam Hoare who’s having a birthday this week.) Hoare has appeared as James Robinson in Dark Angel, he was Eric in Dancing on the Edge and played Lynn Brother in a 2007 Masterpiece adaptation of Jane Eyre.

Sounds Familiar

“Look, I’ll be honest with you … this whole Caribbean thing … I mean, I’m sure it’s very nice, but, uh … well, it’s not really my idea of, uh … yeah. So, as soon as I’ve solved this case, and I’ve got my luggage, I’m on the next plane home. I can’t think why they sent me.” – DI Richard Poole (Ben Miller), Death in Paradise – series one, episode one