Saturday 1 August 2015

DEATH IN PARADISE - SERIES THREE (FRENCH REGION 2 DVD)

Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, from London, solves crimes with French Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey on the beautiful Caribbean island of Saint Marie. They're assisted by officer Dwayne Myers and Sergeant Fidel Best.

Series 3 of Death in Paradise is available in France on DVD from Koba Films since July.

« London speaks very highly of him. »

Created by Robert Thorogood, Death in Paradise, the very popular BBC One lighthearted crime drama, was launched in 2011. It is set on the fictional Saint Marie island and actually filmed in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe. The first two series starred Ben Miller (Primeval) as Detective Inspector Richard Poole. In April 2013, it was announced that Miller would leave during the third series and that he would be replaced by Kris Marshall (My family) as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman.

Original cast members Sara Martins (DS Camille Bordey), Danny John-Jules (Officer Dwayne Myers), Gary Carr (Sergeant Fidel Best), Don Warrington (Commissioner Selwyn Patterson) and Élizabeth Bourgine (Catherine Bordey) all returned, like Harry the (CGI) lizard. An university reunion party attended by Richard Poole comes to an abrupt end with a murder. DI Goodman arrives to help the Honoré police on this very sensitive case and stays on the island as his wife, Sally, broke up by voicemail.

« Am I seeing things or did he fall out of the window? »

Ben Miller set the bar very high as Poole and his character deserved a more elegant send-off but Kris Marshall is awesome as a radically different eccentric English sleuth. The disheveled and clumsy DI Humphrey Goodman is a bumbling but brilliant Columbo of the Caribbean. Series three's bodycount includes a stunt double on a film set, a local gigolo, an air stewardess, the Saint Marie commerce minister, a bird-watcher, a real estate magnate and a pensioner in a luxury retirement home.

« There's a whole list of things I'm not very good at. But I am a good detective. »

Humphrey,  his notes written on everything and his "Fox, goose and a bag of beans" type of puzzles proved to be favourites of viewers everywhere. The ingenious formula of Death in Paradise for fun escapism is intact with murder mysteries under the sun, splendid locations, humour and guest stars: Peter Davison, Michelle Ryan, Josette Simon, Raza Jaffrey, etc... There's also a great soundtrack with ska and reggae standards and original music by British composer Magnus Fiennes. French pubcaster France 2 airs the series with a different intro (Sunday Shining by Finley Quaye) and You're Wondering Now (1) as the end title.

Death in Paradise is produced by Red Planet Pictures for the BBC. It is filmed with the support of the Region of Guadeloupe and the Film commission of Guadeloupe. Koba Films releases the eight one-hour episodes of this third series in a 3-disc DVD set with the UK theme tune, the original dialogue track (available with optional French subtitles) and the French dubbing. Bruno Choël, who dubs Kris Marshall, does a very good job. The fifth series is currently being filmed and Series 4 started on France 2 in July.

(1) http://liberalburblings.co.uk/?p=26297


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