Beyond Paradise star Zahra Ahmadi has shared her wish list for a dream guest star in the popular Death in Paradise spin-off none other than Strictly Come Dancing champion Chris McCausland.
The 43-year-old actress, who plays DS Esther Williams in the hit BBC detective drama, recently returned to screens alongside Kris Marshall. As the series continues to win over audiences, Ahmadi has weighed in on which famous face she’d love to see make an appearance.
Ahmadi’s Dream Casting Choice
With Beyond Paradise known for featuring high-profile guest stars, Ahmadi was asked who she’d love to see join the cast. Speaking to the BBC, she didn’t hesitate to name McCausland, praising his talent and personality.
It would be Chris McCausland. I thought he was amazing on Strictly and I recently watched his Christmas special with Lee Mack. He’s a fantastic comedian, human being, and actor. He’d be brilliant in an episode.
McCausland made history last year as the first blind contestant to win Strictly Come Dancing, charming audiences alongside his professional dance partner, Dianne Buswell.
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McCausland on Disability Representation
The comedian has previously spoken about breaking stereotypes around disability, sharing his thoughts on BBC Radio 4.
I think there are low expectations of people with disabilities—sometimes you’ll come down a set of steps into a taxi and people say, ‘Wow, how did you do that?’
His addition to Beyond Paradise would certainly bring an exciting and fresh dynamic to the show.
Ahmadi’s ‘Beyond Paradise’ Audition Nerves
This latest revelation follows Ahmadi’s recent appearance on The One Show, where she opened up about her anxieties when auditioning for Beyond Paradise. The actress had previously appeared in Death in Paradise but as a murder victim.
Recalling the experience, she admitted:
The issue was that not only was I in an episode of Death in Paradise, but I died—very, very much died—in the episode. So the further along in the audition process I got, the more fearful I got that I was going to get caught out.
Her concerns were confirmed when executive producer Tim Key recognized her from the previous role.
The first thing Tim Key, our executive producer, said to me was, ‘You were in an episode of Death in Paradise, weren’t you?’ And I said, ‘Yes. Is that a problem?’ and he went ‘No.’ So I went ahhhh. And it was alright.
Beyond Paradise continues on BBC One at 8 PM on Fridays and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
