Death in Paradise star joins cast of chilling Channel 4 drama as it returns for second series
A DEATH in Paradise legend is among the cast for the highly anticipated second series of a Channel 4 drama.
Suspect premiered in June 2022 and had a run of eight episodes.
It followed detective Danny Frater (James Nesbitt), who was determined to uncover the truth about his daughter Christina’s (Imogen King) death.
Each episode saw him track down and confront a potential suspect while trying to find the answers he desperately wanted.
Although James won’t be returning to the Channel 4 drama, the mystery of Christina’s demise will continue on.
Ben Miller had a starring role as Detective Superintendent Richard Groves in the first series and will be back for series two.
The actor and comedian is no stranger to the crime drama genre.
He played DI Richard Poole, the original lead of Death in Paradise and currently stars in ITV series Professor T, as a criminologist assisting the police.
Series one concluded with Danny being arrested for the murder of Jackie Sowden (Joely Richardson) after he became convinced she was the killer.
The protagonist became enraged after learning Christina’s body had been cremated, meaning any evidence was destroyed.
After fatally stabbing Jackie in the chest and being detained, Danny hallucinated that Christina was in the car alongside him.
The grieving father felt at peace by telling his daughter that it was all finally over.
However, a shocking twist, Christina told her dad that nothing was over before she disappeared.
Unclear what she meant, he shouted her name in the car, willing her to come back before the scene finished and the credits rolled.
Although Danny is behind bars, Christina’s mother Dr Susannah Newman is also on a quest to uncover what really happened to her.
Anne-Marie Duff is reprising her role as Susannah from series one and the synopsis suggests she’s at the heart of the mystery.
The teaser from Channel 4 revealed: “When a mysterious new client Jon (Dominic Cooper) makes a disturbing confession under hypnosis, Susannah is forced to embark on her own deadly mission to save a life, the way she couldn’t do with her own daughter… “
Ben Miller's career so far
First rising to name in the double act Armstrong and Miller, comedian and actor Ben Miller has had roles in a variety of popular projects. Let's take a look at some of them:
- Armstrong and Miller: Ben rose to fame as one-half comedy duo Armstrong and Miller, with Alexander Armstrong. The pair’s projects include two self-titled TV shows.
- Johnny English: The comedian and actor first played Bough, sidekick to Rowan Atkinson’s titular secret agent in 2003’s Johnny English. He reprised the role in 2011’s Johnny English Reborn (although his scenes were cut) and returned as a central character in 2018’s Johnny English Strikes Back.
- Primeval: Between 2007 and 2011, Ben played government official James Lester in ITV science-fiction series Primeval. He was one of only three cast members to star in all five series.
- Death in Paradise: Ben played DI Richard Poole, the original British detective assigned to the idyllic Saint Marie in Death in Paradise. He left the show in series three, after the character killed off. Subsequent detectives have included Kris Marshall, Ardal O’Hanlon, Ralf Little and Don Gilet.
- Professor T: Based on a Belgian series of the same name, Ben plays Professor Jasper Tempest, a criminologist who helps the police solve crimes. The show also stars Emma Naomi, Frances de La Tour and Sunetra Sarker.
- Suspect: Ben plays Detective Superintendent Richard Groves in this Channel 4 crime drama. The plot of series one saw detective Danny Frater (James Nesbitt) try to uncover the truth behind his daughter’s death.
In addition to Dominic Cooper, new faces in the eight-part drama include Eddie Marsan, Tamsin Greig, Vignette Robinson and Celine Buckens.
Channel 4 also assembled an all-star lineup for series 1, with the likes of Richard E. Grant, Niamh Algar, Antonia Thomas, Sam Heughan and Sacha Dhawan.
This time around, will Susannah be able to find out what truly happened to Christina?
Suspect airs on Channel 4.