Beyond Paradise: Inside the Real Locations Behind the BBC’s Sun-Soaked Crime Drama

When viewers tune into Beyond Paradise, they’re transported to the idyllic, sun-drenched coastal town of Shipton Abbott, a picturesque slice of Devon where life seems charmingly slow — until murder strikes. But here’s the twist: Shipton Abbott doesn’t actually exist. The postcard-perfect world of Beyond Paradise is a television illusion, crafted not in Devon at all, but in the equally beautiful fishing port of Looe, Cornwall.

The BBC’s hit crime series — a spin-off of the long-running favourite Death in Paradise — has traded the Caribbean sunshine for the softer glow of the British coast. And in doing so, it’s given audiences something rare: a homegrown paradise with a sinister undertone.

A Fictional Devon, Filmed in Cornwall

Although Beyond Paradise is set in Devon’s South Hams region, most of its filming takes place more than 60 miles west, in and around Looe, a historic harbour town on Cornwall’s south coast. Producers say the decision came down to aesthetics — and logistics.

“Looe just had everything we were looking for,” said producer Tim Key. “It has that cinematic beauty, the winding streets, the harbour, the natural light. It feels like a town you’d want to live in — and that contrast makes the dark storylines hit harder.”

Looe’s colourful quayside, narrow lanes, and sweeping sea views have since become the face of Shipton Abbott. Locals have embraced the show’s crew, who descended on the town for months of filming, turning ordinary cafes, shops, and piers into set pieces for murder investigations and seaside mysteries.

For many residents, it’s been surreal. “It’s funny seeing your local fishmonger show up in a murder scene,” laughed one shopkeeper. “The whole town stops to watch when they film.”

The Coastal Charm Behind the Camera

Filming in Cornwall wasn’t without its challenges. The region’s beauty comes with unpredictable weather — mist one moment, blazing sunlight the next. “We’d go from golden-hour perfection to sideways rain in ten minutes,” said cinematographer Mark Partridge. “But that’s part of the magic. It’s real, it’s British, it’s unpredictable — just like the show.”

The production team shot across multiple Cornish locations to create the fictional world of Shipton Abbott. Among them were:

Looe Harbour and Riverside – The heart of the series, doubling as the town centre and police base.
The Old Guildhall Museum – Used for several interior scenes, reimagined as local offices.
Port Eliot Estate (St Germans) – Provided grand backdrops for several key episodes.
Pelynt and Duloe Villages – Stand-ins for rural Devon hamlets visited by the detectives.

A handful of scenes were filmed in Devon proper, including landscapes around Totnes and Dartmouth, to maintain authenticity for Devon-based viewers. But the charm and layout of Looe proved too irresistible for the show’s aesthetic to move far away.

Life in ‘Shipton Abbott’

In Beyond Paradise, Kris Marshall reprises his beloved role as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman — the quirky, endlessly curious sleuth who first appeared in Death in Paradise. This time, Goodman trades the Caribbean heat for the coastal chill, returning to the UK with his fiancée Martha (played by Sally Bretton) to start anew in rural England.

Marshall says the switch in setting gave the show a deeper emotional layer. “Shipton Abbott might look like paradise, but it’s a place full of secrets,” he explained. “It’s not just about crime-solving — it’s about community, belonging, and how people hide what’s really going on beneath the surface.”

That theme — the clash between serenity and darkness — mirrors the landscape itself. “Cornwall’s coastline can be stunning one moment and wild the next,” said director Sandy Johnson. “It’s the perfect metaphor for the stories we tell — that duality of beauty and danger.”

Locals Turned Fans

If there’s one thing the Beyond Paradise crew didn’t expect, it was how quickly Looe would fall in love with its TV alter ego. Local businesses now proudly display “Shipton Abbott” signs. Cafés feature themed menus. Tourists visit from across the UK hoping to catch a glimpse of filming or find the “detective’s cottage.”

The show has sparked a mini-tourism boom, with fans arriving year-round to explore filming spots. “People come in asking where the police station is,” said one barista. “It’s not real, but they love that. They just want to feel part of the story.”

The BBC, too, has leaned into the town’s growing fame, promoting Beyond Paradise as both a compelling drama and a love letter to Britain’s coastal communities.

Beyond the Sunshine

Critics have praised the show for maintaining the charm of its Caribbean predecessor while grounding it in something more relatable. “It’s sun-drenched, yes, but it’s British sunshine,” wrote The Telegraph. “There’s warmth and wit, but also weathered faces, damp mornings, and real humanity.”

With Beyond Paradise returning for another season, fans can expect even more twists beneath the blue skies. “It might look beautiful,” Marshall teased, “but even paradise has its shadows.”

And in the quiet streets of Looe — or should we say, Shipton Abbott — those shadows are never far from view.