Each year, the cast and crew of Death in Paradise jets to Guadeloupe – a breathtaking archipelago in the southern Caribbean Sea. A haze of cerulean shores and pearly white beaches, the region serves as a backdrop for the fictional island of Sainte-Marie.
Back in 2020, Executive Producer, Tim Key, revealed why Guadeloupe is the BBC's dream filming location. Chatting to HELLO!, he said: "There's the way it looks - especially the side of the island that we're on. It looks beautiful but also it's not overdeveloped, it's not a very modern Caribbean island, nor is it less developed - it's just right for us.
"Secondly, is because it's a French department," he continued. "So the currency is the Euro and we qualify for the tax rebate so we can afford to shoot the show here basically. On top of that, the Guadeloupe regional council has always been very very keen to have us there."
Want to learn more about life in Guadeloupe? Here's what you need to know…
Guadeloupe is made up of six islands
A French archipelago, Guadeloupe is made up of six inhabited islands. Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre are the main two, while Marie-Galante, Les Saintes (Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas) along with la Désirade, are referred to as the Southern islands.
Basse-Terre is the primary filming location for Death in Paradise with the commune of Deshaies doubling up as the town of Honoré.
According to Worldometer, the current population of Guadeloupe stands at just over 396,000.
The heat can make filming difficult
Guadeloupe has an average temperature of 27°C, and while the cast and crew feel like they're permanently on holiday, it can cause complications during filming.
In 2022, leading man Ralf Little told us: "It's a constant battle with the heat, and the costume department are having to blowdry my shins if I've sweated through trousers. That's happened once by the way! How mad is that?"
Ardal O'Hanlon, who played DI Jack Mooney from 2017 to 2020, has also spoken about the tropical climate.
Speaking to HELLO!, he revealed that the humidity is "off the charts", especially in the police station where many of the scenes are filmed. Joking about the conditions inside the station, he said: "It can be very tough, you literally go into a daze in there, you know you have to be so well prepared because you could actually collapse in minutes! I'm joking, I'm painting a very grim picture."
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The cast loves filming in Guadeloupe
While the tropical climate can prove difficult, not to mention the endless array of insects, the cast loves heading to Guadeloupe.
In between filming, Ralf Little loves heading off for a dip in the ocean. As for, Elizabeth Bourgine, the actress enjoys a road trip or two.
"If I have to stay longer because of the schedule or the weather, I love taking my car and then heading somewhere," she said. "I think: 'I don't know that street,' so I'll go there and I get lost the same way. Then what I love is coming back to my hotel and writing."