Train at South Devon Railway's Staverton Station. Photo: SDR.

South Devon Railway’s starring role in BBC’s blockbuster drama Beyond Paradise

South Devon Railway has a starring role in the opening episode of the hit BBC One crime drama Beyond Paradise which returns for a much-awaited second season this week.

Series one of The Death in Paradise spin-off, which is set in the fictional Devon seaside town of Shipton Abbott, was the UK’s most watched new drama of last year across all channels and streamers.

The heritage railway takes centre stage in the first episode when a murder mystery play rehearsal on a steam train turns deadly after the actor playing the victim is found with a real knife in his back.

DI Humphrey Goodman, played by Kris Marshall ,and DS Esther Williams, Zahra Ahmadi, who are part of the Shipton Abbott Players’ cast must try and work out who the real killer is.

Bosses at the educational charity are hoping the series, which is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International, will showcase the railway to a wider audience.

They are planning to create an exhibition featuring props from the show – including the Shipton Abbott Station sign and Beyond Paradise fans will soon be able to channel their own DI Goodman and DS Williams on their own Train Murder Mysteries throughout the year.

Murder by Appointment, the longest established murder mystery company in the West of England, are running seven themed experiences with the first a 1940s Diamond Heist on 25th April.

South Devon Railway General Manager Ernest Elsworth-Wilson said: “We were delighted to welcome Red Planet Pictures to the South Devon Railway for the filming of the new BBC series of Beyond Paradise.

“The scenes were shot during an intensive week and filming had to take place around a busy public summer timetable, which was quite a challenge for the crew, the actors and our staff.

“However, it all looked amazing and we’re delighted the railway had such a starring role in episode one.

“The South Devon Railway has hosted many film productions in the past and we’re really looking forward to seeing how visitors react when they find out Shipton Abbott is actually Buckfastleigh Station.

“We’re also anticipating an influx of Beyond Paradise fans keen to relive their favourite scenes and also take part in their own murder mystery drama,” he added.

Lead actor Kris Marshall relived his excitement about filming on the South Devon Railway at a media event promoting the new series.

“The most fun I had was not necessarily filming in the carriages, they were fun, but those scenes where I'm actually on the footplate of the steam train, they're incredible. They’re like sort of living, breathing beasts,” he said.

The multi-award-winning South Devon Railway is one of Devon’s and the West Country’s best loved tourist attractions and is the longest established steam railway in the south west, celebrating over 50 years in preservation.

The SDR is a seven-mile former Great Western Railway branch line, built in 1872, which runs along the stunning valley of the River Dart between Buckfastleigh and Totnes.