Death In Paradise is returning for a star-studded 13th season, and this time, a Hollywood superstar will join DI Neville Parker.
Hayley Mills, who portrayed twins Sharon and Susan in the 1961 film The Parent Trap (later replaced by Lindsey Lohan), will appear as a guest star in the BBC One drama.
The 77-year-old actress was also noted for her appearance in Disney’s Pollyanna, which earned her an Oscar and a Bafta nomination.
Following her Hollywood career, Hayley got the titular role on the comedy Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was eventually retooled into the 1990s classic Saved by the Bell, and has since been on British TV blockbusters such as Wild At Heart and as a guest in Midsomer Murders.
She also performed as Anna Leonowens in a big production of The King and I in the 1990s, and in 2023, she will appear in a theatrical rendition of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
She will join a lengthy list of prominent faces starring on the forthcoming series of Death in Paradise, including X Factor contestant Rachel Adedeji, West End performer Richard Fleeshman, who portrayed Craig Harris on Coronation Street from 2002 to 2006, and comedian Ronni Ancona.
As if that wasn’t enough, Emma Sidi from Starstruck, Emma Naomi from Bridgerton, and Kevin Garry from Ted Lasso also appear, as do former Band of Gold actor Cathy Tyson and singer Kate Robbins.
The BBC has teased the upcoming series, which will begin with the show’s 100th episode and will see Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (played by Don Warrington) celebrate 50 years of police service before being dramatically shot by a mysterious assassin.
Elsewhere in the series, Office Marlon Pryce (Tahj Miles) confronts his future, DS Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) goes on a double date with Trainee Officer Darlene Curtis (Ginny Holder), and Catherine Bordey (Elizabeth Bourgine) becomes involved in a murder case when an old friend becomes a suspect.
The BBC adds: ‘Will our hapless detective finally get his happy ever after? There’s also a deadly game of bingo, a poisoning at a cookery competition, death during a blackout, and a mystifying murder in a lift.’
This comes after Death In Paradise fans were treated to an epic crossover during Beyond Paradise’s conclusion in April last year, with producers promising future seasons of the spin-off.
Creator Tony Jordan recently said: ‘This isn’t an experiment! We have tried to create a show that will deliver to the audience and get the same feeling as Death in Paradise. They are completely different worlds, but they are feel good television and I don’t think there is enough of that. I think there is so much crime drama of missing babies, dead teenagers, people hanging from trees and all sorts!
‘I like shows like Death in Paradise where the family all sit together and I love it. Death in Paradise, 9pm on a Friday, you think “oh quick sit down!”. I hope that we’ll get the same thing with Beyond Paradise.
‘We are working on ideas for future series, we’d absolutely love for it to go again.’
Death In Paradise returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, February 4.