Devotees of the BBC have just clocked an intriguing crossover between Ben Miller’s latest BBC offering, Austin, and a spin-off of the beloved Death in Paradise series.
In the new series, Austin, Ben Miller embodies Julian Hartwood, a celebrated British children’s author whose empire crumbles when he retweets a message from a white supremacist.
The plot thickens for Julian when, at a book signing in Canberra, Austin, portrayed by Michael Theo—a neurodivergent individual in his twenties—claims to be his child.
Subsequent investigations reveal that Austin is not only his son but was also born during Julian’s relationship with Ingrid (played by Sally Phillips), Julian’s spouse and professional ally for almost thirty years.
Initially, Julian dismisses Austin, wishing he would vanish. Yet later, swayed by his scheming agent, he contemplates exploiting his newfound relationship with his autistic son to rescue his faltering career.
However, sharp-eyed watchers who are fans of Death in Paradise noticed a connection between Austin and Return to Paradise, the show’s Australian spin-off. The link comes via Tai Hara, who acts as bartender Luke in Austin, while also portraying Glenn Strong—an ex-fiancé of Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke, played by Anna Samson—in Return to Paradise.
A fan took to a Facebook group dedicated to the shows, noting: “I’m watching the new Ben Miller show Austin. There is a character called Barman Luke. The character is played by Tai Hara, who also plays Glenn Strong in Paradise. Glenn is Mac’s ex-fiance,” reports Wales Online.
Ben Miller, who famously portrayed the original detective Richard Poole in Death in Paradise, was killed by an ice pick. His latest project has fans buzzing about a potential crossover with the beloved series.
Death in Paradise enthusiasts quickly drew parallels between Ben’s new series and the show when Return to Paradise premiered last year, particularly noting resemblances to the show’s first female detective and Richard Poole.
Social media was abuzz with reactions, as one viewer remarked: “I liked it! The lead character seems to be like a female Richard Poole or Neville Parker.”
Echoing the sentiment, another fan posted: “Yes, you’re right, very Richard Poole-ish.”
Meanwhile, a third chimed in: “Just when I thought DI Richard Poole was not a people-friendly person, up pops DI Mackenzie Clarke.”
Discussing his involvement with the new series, Ben revealed: “Darren Ashton, the director, is an old friend of mine. We worked on a film in Australia called Razzle Dazzle in 2007, and we’d been looking for something to do ever since.”
He continued, sharing his inspiration: “A few years ago, he was staying with me in the UK, and he showed me Love on the Spectrum, which I absolutely loved, and I was completely blown away by Michael Theo in it.
“I thought he was extraordinary and such a fascinating person in the show and on screen. After bingeing the entire series, I asked Darren, ‘Do you think Michael could act? I get the feeling he could,’ and Darren agreed. We said, ‘Do you think we could try and come up with some kind of show where Michael was the central character?’ and that was the beginning of it.”
Austin is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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