BBC Death in Paradise’s new spin-off lead has explained the “pressure” and “joy” of being the first woman to head the popular tropical detective drama.
Return to Paradise stars Anna Samson, 34, as DI Mackenzie Clarke in a new setting, the idyllic Australian coastal town of Dolphin Cove.
The show will see DI Mackenzie, having worked with the Metropolitan Police for a spell, return to her homeland to lead up the local police force’s investigations.
British-born Samson, who starred in iconic Aussie soap Home and Away, explained to Radio Times that she had always harboured a “secret desire to play a detective on the BBC.”
She also confessed to being a long-time fan of Death in Paradise, particularly as it’s optimistic spoke to “a more innocent time of television where there was the intention to entertain and give escape, rather than traumatise”.
“I think the world can be quite heavy and dark and hard right now. Having a show that is softer, warmer, charming and kind in its bones was really appealing to me,” Samson explains.
The 34-year-old’s love for the show meant she was overjoyed to get the role, revealing she called her mum “straightaway” upon receiving the good news.
However, Samson also admits “the fear kicked in” almost as soon after.
“There’s a pressure and a joy. I’m taking up the mantle from very beloved male British actors. I’m different to that,” she explained.
Reflecting on her role, Samson believes that having a female lead isn’t a significant change to the “DNA” of the Death in Paradise franchise.
In her eyes, the real change was the “significant cultural move” of going from the Carribean to Australia.
That being said, Samson still had to banish thoughts of “being the first female detective and the size and success of the franchise” when getting into character.
Samson describes DI Mackenzie Clarke as a brilliant but “acerbic, hard character” who sometimes has trouble reading social ques.
“She’s genuinely not concerned with people liking her,” Samson said.
The Home and Away star explained: “She doesn’t think that she needs people or community – but we all do. However, we don’t all need to be liked and loved by everyone. I’ve learned that through playing her.”
Conversely, the actress believes she and other women can learn from DI Mackenzie’s independence.
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“I think a lot of us, especially women, struggle with trying to be palatable. To put that side of myself down, for the time I got to play her, was like a weight off my shoulders,” she reveals.
Return to Paradise premieres on Friday 22 November, and will air on BBC One from 8pm that night.
The full series will also be available on iPlayer.
