1960s Hollywood icon making comeback in BBC thriller with star-studded cast

The Parent Trap star Hayley Mills is making a comeback in Death In Paradise (Picture: Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

Death In Paradise is returning for a star-studded 13th series, and this time, a Hollywood icon is joining DI Neville Parker.

Hayley Mills, who starred in the 1961 film The Parent Trap as twins Sharon and Susan (later played by Lindsey Lohan), will now guest star on the BBC One drama.

The 77-year-old actress was also known for her role in Disney’s Pollyanna, for which she won an Oscar and was nominated for a Bafta.

Following her Hollywood career, Hayley landed the title role on the sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss – which was later retooled into 1990s classic Saved by the Bell – and in more recent years has appeared on British TV hits like Wild At Heart and guest-starred in Midsomer Murders.

She also played the leading role of Anna Leonowens in a major revival of The King and I in the 1990s and in 2023 starred in a stage adaptation of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Hayley will be making a guest appearance on the upcoming series 13 (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

She’ll be joining a long list of famous faces appearing on the upcoming series of Death in Paradise, including X Factor contestant Rachel Adedeji, West End star Richard Fleeshman – who played Craig Harris on Coronation Street from 2002 until 2006 – and comedian Ronni Ancona.

As if that wasn’t enough, Starstruck’s Emma Sidi, Bridgerton actress Emma Naomi and Ted Lasso’s Kevin Garry all make appearances, as well as former Band of Gold actress Cathy Tyson, and singer Kate Robbins.

Teasing the upcoming series, the BBC has revealed that the new series kicks off the show’s milestone 100th episode, and will see Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (played by Don Warrington) celebrate 50 years of police service, before being left fighting for his life after being dramatically shot by a mysterious assassin.

Ralf Little returns as DI Neville Parker (Picture: BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon)

Elsewhere across the series, Office Marlon Pryce (Tahj Miles) confronts his future, DS Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) lets loose to double date with Trainee Officer Darlene Curtis (Ginny Holder), and Catherine Bordey (Elizabeth Bourgine) finds herself embroiled in a murder case when an old friend becomes a suspect.

The BBC adds: ‘Will our hapless detective finally get his happy ever after? There’s also a deadly game of bingo, a poisoning at a cookery competition, death during a blackout, and a mystifying murder in a lift.’

This comes after Death In Paradise fans were given a treat during the finale of Beyond Paradise in April last year, when an epic crossover occurred – with producers teasing future seasons of the spin-off.

Creator Tony Jordan recently told Metro.co.uk: ‘This isn’t an experiment! We have tried to create a show that will deliver to the audience and get the same feeling as Death in Paradise. They are completely different worlds, but they are feel good television and I don’t think there is enough of that. I think there is so much crime drama of missing babies, dead teenagers, people hanging from trees and all sorts!

‘I like shows like Death in Paradise where the family all sit together and I love it. Death in Paradise, 9pm on a Friday, you think “oh quick sit down!”. I hope that we’ll get the same thing with Beyond Paradise.

‘We are working on ideas for future series, we’d absolutely love for it to go again.’

Death In Paradise returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, February 4.

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She’s joining a string of famous faces.