‘Beyond Paradise’s 2026 Christmas Special Glitters Brightly

Holiday creep has been a problem on both sides of the pond for decades, but it’s still jarring how early TV networks start releasing details about their upcoming end-of-year December specials. It’s somewhat understandable, given that the streaming wars disemboweled appointment television for much of the year, and productions are only now finally figuring out how to bring it back. But the last 12 weeks of the calendar, from the start of Spooky Season to New Year’s Day, have remained steadfast in bringing in viewers when the season specials air, and the result has been more series leaning into holiday-themed one-offs.

For Americans, this is something of a novelty, a new tradition that cemented itself over the last decade. However, British TV was already on the holiday special train before the 20th century ended, with the BBC and ITV programming specials for “family time around the electronic hearth” during what is referred to as “the festive period,” aka between December 20 and January 2.

BritBox has been the biggest beneficiary of this confluence of factors; the streaming service initially debuted in 2017 with yearly holiday programming from some of the U.K.’s biggest hits, like Death in Paradise, already in place. Since then, the U.K.-set spinoff Beyond Paradise has joined its parent show in releasing Christmas specials every year, which are just as popular.

(Notably, the Aussie-set Return to Paradise has not released a holiday special as yet, as it’s summertime down under, which isn’t as conducive to families huddling together in front of the TV.)

Here’s the full synopsis for the Beyond Paradise 2026 special:

A little girl’s festive season is set to be the best-ever when she looks out the window and spots Santa Claus on the roof. But it soon becomes a nightmare before Christmas for the residents of the Whitfield Estate, who wake to discover a man dressed as Santa has plummeted from the roof - and that a spate of robberies has taken place, with all the video and eyewitness evidence implicating the big man himself!

As Humphrey investigates the wildly different details of each burglary, all the evidence points to a Santa who is decidedly more naughty than nice. But when the man in red wakes up in hospital, can Humphrey get the answers he needs before Christmas arrives? Meanwhile, after several unrecognized phone calls and sensing she’s being followed, Martha confronts a mysterious stranger. Discovering the culprit’s true identity and reason for coming to Shipton Abbott, Martha faces a difficult conversation. Elsewhere, Esther puts Archie to the test when she insists that a couple’s first Christmas together can make or break them, leaving Archie under pressure to pull out all the stops for his present; and Kelby finds himself caught between two warring neighbors, each accusing the other of sabotage in their fierce competition to have the most extravagant Christmas lights display.

Kris Marshall (Sanditon) and Sally Bretton (Lewis) once again lead the main cast with series stalwarts Zahra Ahmadi (The Beast Must Die) as DS Esther Williams; Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford; Felicity Montagu (Tom Jones) as Margo Martins; Barbara Flynn (The Durrells in Corfu) as Martha’s mother, Anne Lloyd; Jamie Bamber (Cannes Confidential) as Archie Hughes.

Though they are not listed, we also expect cameo appearances from supporting cast Eva Feiler (The Crown) as Nurse Lucy; Phil Daniels (Endeavour) as Marvelous Harris; and Melina Sinadinou (The Terminal List: Dark Wolf) as Ester’s daughter, Zoe Williams.

This year’s guests docking in Shipton Abbott include Johnny Vegas (Good Omens), Paul Chowdhry (The Cleaner), Martin Trenaman (The Inbetweeners), Syreeta Kumar (Riot Women) and Sam Hunter (One Battle After Another).

Series creators Robert Thorogood and Tony Jordan return for Beyond Paradise’s Christmas Special and Season 5 as the show’s creative force, with Lindsay Hughes serving as producer. Jordan also executive produces with Tim Key for Red Planet Pictures, Robert Schildhouse & Stephen Nye for BritBox, and Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC.

The Beyond Paradise 2026 Christmas Special will be available to stream via iPlayer starting Friday, November 27, 2026, and will air on BBC One “during the 2026 festive period.” BritBox has not yet confirmed a release date for this side of the pond. Season 5 is expected out in mid-2027. Beyond Paradise Seasons 1 through 4 are also available to stream on BritBox.

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All episodes of Death in Paradise Seasons 1 through 15 and Return to Paradise Seasons 1 and 2 are also available to stream on BritBox. Death in Paradise Season 16 and Return to Paradise Season 3 are expected to arrive on BritBox in 2027.