Beyond Paradise Christmas Special, BBC One, review: if only life in Britain was really this cosy

Marvel has its movies that are all connected, Star Wars has made a lot of money with their huge franchise, and Doctor Who has grown into something called the Whoniverse. With these big names in entertainment, we can also include Death in Paradise. It already has two spin-off shows and is likely to have even more in the future.

In the previous month, the BBC declared about a show called Return to Paradise. It is about an Australian investigator who comes back to her hometown, Dolphin Cove, after serving in the Metropolitan Police for a while. It sounds like a delightful place, doesn't it? The network also presented Beyond Paradise earlier, and this show grabbed the attention of over nine million viewers as the most-watched new drama in the UK during the year 2023.

With the cozy atmosphere that surrounds Christmas, the Beyond Paradise Christmas Special (BBC One) is the perfect match for the season. No twisted and malicious serial killers in sight; instead, a person with gentle hands sneaks into houses to leave presents behind, rather than taking anything away.

One great aspect of this series is that it doesn't become too sappy. It has all the ingredients to become excessively cute, such as its idyllic location and amusing side characters. Yet, Kris Marshall's portrayal as the clumsy DI Humphrey Goodman cleverly alters that. Moreover, we frequently witness the reality that Shipton Abbott, a village in Devon, is not all that quaint. One example is the delinquent Josh Woods who drunkenly snoozes through a burglary with a kebab container resting on his stomach.

There was another plotline where a small boy was caught stealing a sausage roll. He then shared a story about how he was separated from his much-loved grandfather. This storyline had the potential to be too cheesy if handled in a certain way. I personally don't have much patience for such overly sentimental content. For instance, one of my least favorite characters of all time includes the child from the movie Love Actually. However, the episode managed to keep it all emotional and moving in an appropriate manner.

Even though the story wasn't impressive, James Fleet's (known for his roles in The Vicar of Dibley and Four Weddings) subtle performance as the mysterious intruder, who had stolen from those houses many years ago and wanted to make things right, gave the movie a solid foundation. He portrayed a former young thief who became a reflective elderly man, realizing the foolishness of his past actions as he aged. "You go to bed as a naive 19-year-old and wake up with a lifetime of regrets," he stated.

If only the actual police dealt with such a low level of crime, the United Kingdom would be a more contented place. Unfortunately, the possibility of the Shipton Abbott station closing due to a countrywide cost-effective review seemed all too realistic. The review aims to establish the SOPS ratio, which calculates successful results against expenditure. It's a cold algorithm with no consideration for comfort.