Written by Shona Smith on Jul 27, 2020. Posted in Production News

Death in Paradise becomes the biggest BBC single camera drama to start filming since lockdown

Principal production on the tenth anniversary series of Death in Paradise has begun production in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Safety measures have been implemented and a full-time Covid-19 Supervisor is on set to make sure protocols are correctly implemented.

The lighthearted murder mystery is one of the BBC’s enduring and popular series, regularly drawing in over eight million viewers. The series has shot in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe for ten years with support of the region of Guadeloupe and access to the French TRIP Production incentive.

The production is the biggest BBC single camera drama to start rolling cameras since lockdown began. Production company Red Planet Pictures worked closely with industry bodies, other production companies and the BBC to develop a detailed Covid-19 protocol policy, implementing various safety measures including social distancing, face coverings and temperature and Covid-19 testing to minimise any risk of infection.

Red Planet Pictures' Joint Managing Director, Alex Jones, says: “Like every other production company, we have faced huge challenges to get to this point, so we are delighted to be up and running again and extremely grateful to everyone who has helped us get this far, not least the people of Deshaies and the region of Guadeloupe for their assistance. The safety of our cast and crew - as well as our friends in Guadeloupe - is the most important thing to us and our policies have been designed to protect everybody whilst still delivering an amazing series for our tenth year.”

Ralf Little (The A Word, Doctor Who) reprises his role of D.I. Neville Parker, Don Warrington (You, Me and Him, Henry IX) as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, Tobi Bakare (Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Tunnel) as D.S. JP Hooper and Elizabeth Bourgine (Family Business, Magellan) as Mayor Catherine Bordey. Surprise return appearances from Death in Paradise’ decade as one of the most loved British dramas will delight long-term viewers.

France's 30% Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP) scheme applies for filming in overseas territories as well as mainland France. To qualify productions must meet a minimum EUR250,000 spend or 50% of the total budget must be spent in France. The rebate caps at EUR30 million per production. For productions shooting in French overseas territories such as Guadeloupe there is a rebate on labour costs.