Beyond Paradise, series 2 finale, review: forget Doctor Who, Kris – this show is perfect for you

Kris Marshall and Isaac Vincent-Norgate in Beyond Paradise – Joss Barratt/BBC

Back in 2017, Kris Marshall was hotly rumoured to be the next star of Doctor Who. Like a malfunctioning Tardis, it never materialised, but I reckon he would have been rather good. You get glimpses in Beyond Paradise (BBC One) of how Marshall might have portrayed the Time Lord. The other-worldly air, the boyish energy, the pockets full of scribbled notes, the sudden flashes of inspiration. During this episode, he wore a waistcoat with an undone bow tie, which looked distinctly Doctor-ish. I half expected him to crack the case by whipping out a sonic screwdriver.

It was the series finale of the cosy crime drama and what could be more finale-friendly than a wedding? We rejoined DI Humphrey Goodman (Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) as they prepared for the unexpectedly lavish nuptials planned by mother-of-the-bridezilla, Anne (Barbara Flynn). Just to add jeopardy, news on the couple’s fostering application arrived at an awkward time. Back at police HQ, there were two crimes to investigate and the future of Shipton Abbott station house to decide.

Flitting between these multiple plotlines lent proceedings pace and zip, even if you could guess most of the outcomes. The theft of a museum’s prize exhibit turned out to be an inside job. The cyber-crooks who assaulted an elderly woman were indeed dead ringers for politician William Hague and Peter Barlow from Coronation Street, exactly as she’d described. In fact, little old ladies proved a rich source of reliable intel. Another gave the exact specifications of a suspicious car, before explaining: “I watch a lot of Jeremy Clarkson. He pushes my buttons.” And on that bombshell…

There was sleight of hand, a high-octane foot chase and some funny business with balloons. Despite the threat of the local station being absorbed into the dreaded “Hub”, the powers-that-be decided there was a role for community policing after all – probably the most implausible element of the entire series.

The wedding was on-off-and-on-again, as they tend to be in fiction. The couple agreed to foster Ryan, the troubled sausage roll thief from the Christmas special. He bonded with Selwyn the duck, before Humphrey asked him to be the best man. The boy, not the duck. Although that’s a speech I’d like to hear.

The Devon coast scenery remained as ravishing as ever. We ended with everyone gathering on the beach for champagne and canapés, almost like they’d just filmed the series wrap party and cheekily put it on-screen. Kindly constable Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn) even got a kiss on the cheek from his not-so-secret crush, Chief Superintendent Woods (Jade Harrison), which was sweet if a tad unprofessional.

This was high-quality, low-stress entertainment to soothe the soul at the end of a long week. Mysteries to exercise the brain, emotion to tug on the heart. Sure, the ending might have been borrowed from Four Weddings and a Funeral, but it was nigh-on impossible not to have a soppy grin on your face by the time the credits rolled. Who needs the vast expanse of time and space when you’ve got the West Country?

Beyond Paradise will return for a Christmas special this year, ahead of third series in 2025

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