About Kris Marshall
Kris Marshall is an English actor who trained at Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead before breaking through on British television at the turn of the millennium. His big comic break came as the dim but likeable Nick Harper in the BBC sitcom My Family, a part he played across 45 episodes between 2000 and 2005. Around the same time he made his mark in film as the hapless Colin Frissell in Richard Curtis's Love Actually (2003), and also appeared in The Four Feathers (2002), The Merchant of Venice (2004) and Death at a Funeral (2007). For several years he was also a familiar face in BT's long-running advertising campaign.
His television work has ranged widely, from the police drama Murder City (2004-2006) to the period drama Sanditon (2019-2023), in which he played the ambitious Tom Parker, and the thriller We Hunt Together (2020). On stage he has appeared in productions including Fat Pig at Trafalgar Studios and Ugly Lies the Bone.
Marshall is best known to crime-drama fans as DI Humphrey Goodman, the clumsy but brilliant detective who took charge of the Saint Marie police in Death in Paradise from series 3 to series 6 (2014-2017). After Humphrey's departure from the Caribbean, the character was given a fresh start in Beyond Paradise, which launched in 2023. Marshall leads the spin-off as Humphrey, now settling into life in the Devon town of Shipton Abbott with Martha Lloyd, and is also credited as an executive producer on the series.
Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman
A perceptive investigator whose untidy presentation masks a precise eye for contradictions. Beyond Paradise follows Humphrey after his Saint Marie years as he makes a home and a working life in Shipton Abbott.
Read the full DI Humphrey Goodman character guide →
Key character relationships
- Martha Lloyd — partner and central family relationship
- Esther Williams — detective partnership
- Anne Lloyd — family
- Shipton Abbott police team — colleagues
Episodes
Kris Marshall is part of the continuing ensemble and appears throughout all four series and the Christmas specials. Browse the episode guide →
Kris Marshall TV shows and films
- My Family (2000-2005, Nick Harper)
- Love Actually (2003, Colin Frissell)
- Murder City (2004-2006, DS Luke Stone)
- Death in Paradise (2014-2017, DI Humphrey Goodman)
- Sanditon (2019-2023, Tom Parker)
- We Hunt Together (2020, Cian Fitzgerald)
- Beyond Paradise (2023-present, DI Humphrey Goodman)
Kris Marshall: quick answers
Who does Kris Marshall play in Beyond Paradise?
Kris Marshall plays DI Humphrey Goodman, detective inspector, in the BBC One drama Beyond Paradise. A perceptive investigator whose untidy presentation masks a precise eye for contradictions. Beyond Paradise follows Humphrey after his Saint Marie years as he makes a home and a working life in Shipton Abbott.
Was Kris Marshall in Death in Paradise?
Played lead detective DI Humphrey Goodman in Death in Paradise from series 3 to series 6 (2014-2017).
What else has Kris Marshall been in?
Marshall's screen work includes My Family (2000-2005, Nick Harper); Love Actually (2003, Colin Frissell); Murder City (2004-2006, DS Luke Stone); Death in Paradise (2014-2017, DI Humphrey Goodman); Sanditon (2019-2023, Tom Parker).
Is Kris Marshall in Beyond Paradise Series 5?
Kris Marshall was named among the returning cast when a fifth series was reported in April 2026. Filming took place in Cornwall and Devon in summer 2026 and the series is expected on BBC One in 2027.