Photo: Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon

Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted, My Hero) reprises his role as detective Jack Mooney, the current resident fish-out-of-water on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie, as filming has begun on series 9 of Death in Paradise. O’Hanlon will continue his time on the island alongside newcomer Aude Legastelois as DS Madeleine Dumas, who is joining the Honoré Police team full-time following last year’s departure of series regular Joséphine Jobert (DS Florence Cassell).

DS Madeline Dumas (Aude Legastelois). Photo: Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon

In addition to O’Hanlon, also returning to the Honoré Police Department will be Tobi Bakare (Officer JP Hooper) and Shyko Amos (Officer Ruby Patterson), Don Warrington as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson and restauranteur, Elizabeth Bourgine, played by Catherine Bordey. While routinely criticized by critics for being too formulaic and ‘unremarkable’, Death in Paradise remains a hit with audiences and has quietly settled in as one of the BBC’s top-3 most popular programs averaging over 8 million viewers per episode as it has on public television stations in America.

While there is no word yet as to what series Executive Producer Tim Key has is mind as far as any new and ingenious ways to vote people off the island against their will, series 9 promises to continue to build on the successes of the past  eight years. “We can’t wait for the audience to see what we’ve got in store for series nine – there are some big surprises coming,” said Key.

Death in Paradise S9 will air next year on BBC One while DIP S8 will air on a number of public television stations in America later this year.