Return to Paradise star Anna Samson shares challenges of filming new BBC spin-off

Actress Anna Samson has spilled the beans on what sets the spin-off series Return to Paradise apart from its predecessors ahead of the show's highly-anticipated launch.

The 34-year-old star joined Morning Live on Monday, November 18, via video link to chat about how the Australian version of Return to Paradise, which branches out from the hit detective series Death in Paradise, stands out.

Filming down under, Morning Live hosts Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones were curious if life on set was as glitzy as it sounds. However, Anna was quick to dispel any glamorous notions by firmly stating, "No."

She elaborated: "No, it's not that glamorous, you know shooting is a lot of hard work, and I'm set quite a lot in this show, so it's a decent amount of hard slog."

Anna also pointed out: "Also, it looks warmer and sunnier than it is. You know, it's the magic of television. We were on the coast of New South Wales, it's very windy," reports .

Discussing the unique aspects of the series, she highlighted: "Another departure from the original show is that this detective has quite long hair, so the wind was not our friend, and you know when you're shooting a show, continuity is important."

While playfully handling her brunette locks, she remarked: "You can't have this bit of hair up here for one shot and down here for another, so yeah, we were kind of battling the tempestuous weather quite a lot."

Return to Paradise centres around DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson), an Australian expatriate who has carved a reputation for herself in London's Metropolitan Police, solving murder cases that seemed impossible to crack.

However, when she is implicated in evidence tampering while in London, Mackenzie finds herself returning to , specifically to her hometown of Dolphin Cove - the last place she ever wanted to be.

Having left the town in a cloud of controversy six years prior, notably jilting her ex-fiance Glenn at the altar, Mackenzie isn't exactly welcomed with open arms.

This chilly reception is clearly depicted in the opening scenes of the new series, where she is unceremoniously ejected from her taxi once the driver recognises her and recalls the scandalous circumstances of her exit.

Return to Paradise airs Friday, November 22 at 8pm on BBC One.