Beyond Paradise Season 2 Filming Locations: The Real Shipton Abbott

Article by Jane
March 30th, 2024
Beyond Paradise Season 2 Filming Locations: The Real Shipton Abbott

Beyond Paradise filming locations across Devon and Cornwall include the Calstock Viaduct and Weir Quay, Looe Bridge, Looe Guildhall, Rame Peninsula, South Devon Railway, the University of Plymouth, and the Pentillie Estate in the Tamar Valley.

Look out for new Beyond Paradise locations joining the established police station, cottage, beach and town centre.

DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) are back for Season 2 of Beyond Paradise, premiering on BBC One on Friday 22nd March 2024.

The series picks up where the Beyond Paradise and Death in Paradise Christmas Specials left off, once again leaving Guadeloupe for the South West of England.

We return to the fictional Devon town just as Shipton Abbott dramatic society’s murder mystery turns into a murder investigation when an actor is stabbed on a steam train.

DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), PC Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn) and Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu) are back to help Humphrey solve this season’s new cases.

And back at home, Martha’s mum, Anne Lloyd (Barbara Flynn), catches everyone off-guard by announcing her new romance.

Where Was Beyond Paradise Season 2 Filmed?

Beyond Paradise Season 2 was filmed in the Tamar Valley, Dart Valley, Looe Guildhall, the University of Plymouth, Pentillie Estate, South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh railway station and Calstock Viaduct. Filming began on 3rd July 2023.

Beyond Paradise Locations

The Real Shipton Abbott

Calstock Calstock. Ben Harris, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Beyond Paradise’s Devon town of Shipton Abbott is really Calstock and Looe in Cornwall.

Scenes for the Kris Marshall series are filmed in the two Cornish towns, with most of the Shipton Abbott waterfront scenes filmed in Calstock and the police station scenes filmed in Looe. Additional scenes were filmed around the Tamar Valley and Dart Valley.

Steam Railway Line

Beyond Paradise’s heritage railway filming location is the South Devon Railway, a heritage railway that recreates 1930s to 1960s-era rail travel. The volunteer-run steam railway offers heritage train journeys and afternoon tea services through the scenic Dart Valley.

So you can visit this Beyond Paradise filming location in Devon very easily! Just check the railway’s website for all the details of upcoming railway experiences.

Shipton Abbott Railway Station

Buckfastleigh Railway Station Buckfastleigh Railway Station. myself, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Shipton Abbott Station is really Buckfastleigh railway station in Devon, on the South Devon Railway. The station opened in 1872as part of the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway, which later became part of the Great Western Railway.

It’s now part of the South Devon Railway heritage line, with a railway museum in the former goods shed.

Viaduct

Calstock Viaduct Calstock Viaduct. Ben Harris, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Shipton Abbott viaduct in Season 2 Episode 1 is the Calstock Viaduct, which reaches 240 metres across the River Tamar. Beyond Paradise’s railway bridge filming location was built between 1904 and 1907 as part of the London and South Western Railway’s Tamar Valley line.

In the episode, it’s seen during the steam railway murder mystery – no surprises there. But look out for some great shots of this photogenic bridge part way through the investigation.

Shipton Abbott Police Station

The real Shipton Abbott Police Station filming location is Looe Guildhall. It’s located on Fore Street, near the centre of the Cornish town.

The Grade II-listed Guildhall was built in 1877 in the Gothic Revival style, and it’s actually a very appropriate police station location. Despite its modern usage as a market and wedding venue, this civic building was built with its own prison cells.

Historic Cottage

The historic cottage filming location Humphrey visits in Season 2 Episode 1 is in The Adits in Calstock. The late Victorian cottages are close to Providence Place in the centre of the town, and the River Tamar beyond.

Shipton Abbott College

Link and Davy Building Link and Davy Building by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The real Shipton Abbott College campus location is the University of Plymouth’s Davy Building on Portland Square. Humphrey and Esther are seen chasing up leads at the college in Beyond Paradise Season 2 Episode 1. Look out for the University of Plymouth’s SU Shop building in the courtyard as they leave the building.

It’s not the first time the University of Plymouth has appeared in the Death in Paradise spin-off. The Reservoir Café, located just a short walk away, provided a Season 1 filming location.

Martha and Humphrey’s Cottage

Humphrey and Martha’s house location in Beyond Paradise in the Pentillie Estate’s riverside cottage. It opens onto the River Tamar, and like many of the Devon-set show’s filming locations, it’s really in Cornwall.

And of course, the river plays a part in the story too. Humphrey’s boat returns for Season 2, making an appearance midway through Episode 1.

You can go behind the scenes with Pentillie Castle and Estate’s own account of the Beyond Paradise cast and crew’s time filming at this Cornish filming location.

The Clairvoyant’s House

Claire Moss (Cariad Lloyd), the clairvoyant’s house in Season 2 Episode 2 is the Old Fire Station Cottage in Millbrook village. The 1850s cottage is a rental property, so you could stay at this Beyond Paradise filming location in Cornwall’s Rame Peninsula.

And yes, this another beautiful coastal spot.