Why did this role appeal to you?

This genre is part of my DNA I guess. I grew up watching murder mysteries. Mackenzie Clark really appeals to me because she is unlike many women I’ve played before. She thinks quickly, and that’s always fun to play on camera.

Who is Mackenzie Clarke and what kind of person is she?

Mackenzie is a detective with the Metropolitan Police in London who is forced to return to her childhood home, where she does not want to be. She battles against community, emotion, love, and friendship – all things that we as human beings need; but she thinks she doesn’t. So that’s where a lot of the drama and comedy comes from – and from her being placed back in the community that she left six years ago in quite extreme circumstances. She left someone at the altar. It’s no small thing to have to return to that, and she brings home with her a great sense of guilt. She’s pushing against all the emotions that being back home brings up – old places, memories, and relationships. She’s trying to push them down, but they have a habit of coming back up, don’t they?

She’s got a great big heart and a real sense of justice, but it’s a fun thing to play a woman who is not necessarily concerned with being liked.

She has an eye for things that other people don’t spot straight away, she gets hyper-focused and has tunnel vision sometimes about things that other people don’t notice. Again, she doesn’t get distracted by emotion in her work. She may not know how to act on her empathy, but she does have empathy. So, she can spot when someone’s lying to her. She can spot when someone is genuinely going through something emotionally. She doesn’t always know how to deal with it, but she can spot it. She deals with logic. This equals that, this puzzle piece goes here, and that’s why she finds emotions so hard, because there’s no logical answer to human emotions. So, they stump her.

Can you talk about Mackenzie’s relationship with Philomena Strong?

I think her relationship with Philomena is interesting, because they are two very strong, intelligent women who deeply respect and admire each other, but are at odds because of what Mackenzie has done.

How is Return to Paradise similar or different to Death in Paradise? What can audiences expect?

Return to Paradise is in the wheelhouse of Death in Paradise. It has to be because that show’s so fantastic, it is such a phenomenon. In a way, it’s quite overwhelming to step into those shoes. I think audiences can expect the spirit of what they love in Guadeloupe. But there’s something about the Australian way of life, accent and landscape that is so different and informs the story. So, there are a lot of differences too. One is that I’m a woman, but there’s the cheek and a charm of the original that I really hope we’ve captured.

Murder is pretty dark, it’s one of the most desperate acts of humanity. So, you take that darkness and smash it up against an environment of bright sunshine and there’s something where that juxtaposition is delicious.

There is something about Return to Paradise that’s not just about Australia. It’s about a small coastal town in Australia, and that comes with its own idiosyncrasies. Regional small towns have a specific vibe – and where we’re shooting on the south coast of New South Wales has a vibe. Shooting there gives an authentic quality to the show.

Do you have a favourite moment from set?

My favourite moment was getting to pour a bucket of cold water on a particularly unsavoury character. It was very satisfying because you’re not allowed to do that stuff in real life. You can only really do that on television. It only happens once in the story but filming it I got to do it again and again. It felt so naughty. Mack’s so naughty and I really enjoy being a little bit naughty.

How have you enjoyed working with your fellow cast.

We’re a very happy group of actors. It’s a really beautiful ensemble. I think it has to be for a show like this to work. There’s a comedy, charm, and an ensemble nature to this show that if

Return to Paradise follows DI Mackenzie Clarke, an Australian ex-pat who’s made a name for herself in the London Metropolitan Police Service, working under former Detective Inspector Jack Mooney, for cracking uncrackable murder cases. When she is framed for staging evidence, Mackenzie returns to Australia, back to the last place she ever wanted to be – her hometown of Dolphin Cove. Having fled the town six years ago, infamously leaving her ex- fiancée Glenn at the altar, Mackenzie is not welcome here. But with no other job options, and a compulsion for solving the mystery no matter how challenging, a reluctant Mack joins the team at Dolphin Cove Police Station. Once a case lands on her desk, she can’t rest until she’s figured it out, and the killer is in handcuffs. It’s that tenacity and work ethic that might just, over time, help Mackenzie win over her new colleagues, and the people of Dolphin Cove.

All episodes on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Friday 22 November, and airing weekly on BBC One from 8pm that night. Add to your Watchlist on iPlayer now.

Watch Return to Paradise on BBC iPlayer ABOVE.

Return to Paradise is the new Australia-set spin-off series from the global smash-hit murder mystery Death in Paradise.

Filmed at stunning locations across Sydney and the idyllic Illawarra coastal region, the intriguing and entertaining whodunit six-part series has a distinctively Australian flare, while playing homage to the Death in Paradise universe. The series is produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia with Red Planet Pictures for the ABC in association with the BBC.