# Saint Marie (fictional island)
Saint Marie (French: Saint-Marie) is a fictional Caribbean island that serves as the setting of the BBC comedy-drama *Death in Paradise*, first broadcast in October 2011. In the show's continuity it is a British Overseas Territory with a main town called Honoré, a French colonial past, and a police force led by detectives seconded from Britain.[1](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie) • [2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827) • [3](https://www.cntraveller.com/article/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Status | Fictional British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, the setting of *Death in Paradise*[1](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie) |
| Main town | Honoré, a name taken from St Honoré in Agatha Christie's novel *A Caribbean Mystery*[2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827) |
| Population | Around 10,000 inhabitants[1](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie) |
| French heritage | Handed over to the British from the French in the 1970s; about 30% of the population are French citizens and French is still widely spoken[1](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie) |
| Real-world location | Filmed in Guadeloupe, a French overseas department, with the commune of Deshaies standing in for Honoré[2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827) |
| Screen history | First series aired October 2011; 15 series and five Christmas specials had been made as of 2026[3](https://www.cntraveller.com/article/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed) |
| Set tourism | The Honoré police station set in Deshaies operates as a small museum outside the filming season, with a 15 euro entry fee[2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827) |
## Fictional geography and society
Saint Marie is depicted as a small tropical island with volcanoes, rainforests, sugar and coffee plantations, fishing harbors, an airport, a university, and numerous beaches. Its population of roughly 10,000 supports a close-knit society, and residents are often seen gathering at Catherine's Bar, a recurring location in the series.[1](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie)
**British rule, French roots.** The island's backstory places it in the eastern Caribbean as a British colonial outpost with a rich historical French heritage.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/death-in-paradise-review-bbc-b1782495.html) In the show's internal history it was handed over to the British by the French in the 1970s, leaving a population that includes French citizens, widespread use of the [French language](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-language), and a mix of British and French institutions.[1](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie) This dual heritage underpins the series' premise: British detectives are seconded to the island to lead a locally recruited force on a majority-Black island with a French minority population.[5](https://cstonline.net/one-step-beyond-and-two-steps-back-beyond-paradise-by-melissa-beattie/) The name itself reflects the split: the French spelling Sainte-Marie is used in French-language coverage of the show, while English-language usage writes it Saint Marie.[6](https://helloguadeloupe.fr/deshaies/meurtre-au-paradis/)
## The name Honoré
The island's main town takes its name from [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie)'s novel *A Caribbean Mystery*, which was set on the fictional island of St Honoré. Other fictional islands have also featured in the series over the years, including Saint Barnabas and Saint Auguste.[2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827)
## Real-world filming
Saint Marie does not exist on any map, but the setting has a physical identity: the series is shot on location in [Guadeloupe](https://www.edgepedia.org/guadeloupe), a French overseas department in the Caribbean, using the real archipelago as a stand-in for the fictional British territory.[2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827) Town scenes set in Honoré are filmed in the commune of Deshaies, a fishing village on the northwest coast of [Basse-Terre](https://www.edgepedia.org/basse-terre), and the detectives' beach hut, shared with Harry the lizard, is located at Anse la Perle.[7](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/tv-shows/death-in-paradise-season-15-free)
**Visiting the set.** Filming runs from April to August, and the Honoré police station in Deshaies becomes a small museum in the winter months when it is not in use.[6](https://helloguadeloupe.fr/deshaies/meurtre-au-paradis/) Visitors can see the Honoré Police sign, sit at the detective's desk, and buy souvenirs; the entry fee is 15 euros.[2](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827)
## Screen history
The first episode aired in October 2011, when Detective Inspector Richard Poole ([Ben Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-miller)) arrived on Saint Marie to investigate the murder of a British police officer and, having solved it, was asked by his supervisors to stay.[3](https://www.cntraveller.com/article/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed) Since then a succession of lead detectives has kept the island as the fixed setting: Humphrey Goodman ([Kris Marshall](https://www.edgepedia.org/kris-marshall), series 3 to 6), Jack Mooney ([Ardal O'Hanlon](https://www.edgepedia.org/ardal-ohanlon), series 6 to 9), Neville Parker (Ralf Little, series 9 to 13), and Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) from series 14.[7](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/tv-shows/death-in-paradise-season-15-free)
The franchise has grown around the setting. *[Beyond Paradise](https://www.edgepedia.org/beyond-paradise-tv-series)* moves DI Humphrey Goodman to Devon, and *[Return to Paradise](https://www.edgepedia.org/return-to-paradise-2024-tv-series)* transplants the format to Australia, but the original series remains on Saint Marie.[7](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/tv-shows/death-in-paradise-season-15-free) As of 2026 the BBC had commissioned a further two series and two Christmas specials, with viewing figures between five and eight million for each series.[3](https://www.cntraveller.com/article/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed)
## Reception and the murder-rate device
A defining running feature of the series is the island's homicide rate, which reviewers have described as improbably high for a community of its size; one 2021 review called Saint Marie "a British colonial outpost with a rich historical French heritage" that "has an abnormally high homicide rate".[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/death-in-paradise-review-bbc-b1782495.html) The same review judged the show's plots thin but credited its tropical scenery and production values with carrying its escapist appeal.[4](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/death-in-paradise-review-bbc-b1782495.html) Academic commentary has taken a different angle, arguing that the format, in which a white British detective leads a Black island police force, tends to laud the outsider and echoes colonialist discourses.[5](https://cstonline.net/one-step-beyond-and-two-steps-back-beyond-paradise-by-melissa-beattie/)
## References
1. [Saint Marie, Death in Paradise Wiki (Fandom)](https://deathinparadise.fandom.com/wiki/Saint_Marie)
2. [Where is Death in Paradise filmed? Locations explained, The Scotsman](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed-4979827)
3. [Where is 'Death in Paradise' filmed? Behind the scenes of the BBC's most picturesque series, CN Traveller](https://www.cntraveller.com/article/where-is-death-in-paradise-filmed)
4. [Death in Paradise review: Not much more than a lavish brochure for the local tourist boards, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/death-in-paradise-review-bbc-b1782495.html)
5. [One Step Beyond (and Two Steps Back?): Beyond Paradise, Melissa Beattie, CST Online](https://cstonline.net/one-step-beyond-and-two-steps-back-beyond-paradise-by-melissa-beattie/)
6. [Meurtres au paradis à Deshaies : les lieux de tournage et le musée, Hello Guadeloupe](https://helloguadeloupe.fr/deshaies/meurtre-au-paradis/)
7. [How to watch Death in Paradise Season 15, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/how-to-watch/tv-shows/death-in-paradise-season-15-free)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Fictional universes, characters, and attribute reference*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license