Banjo Pier and the Looe waterfront
Coastal CluesSeries 4, Episode 2
Series 4 · Episode 2

The spotless burglary

A run of break-ins produces a crime scene that has been unusually cleaned. The team investigates what was removed, what was left and why.

  • 3 April 2026
  • Broadcast date and broad premise checked; no solution is published.
Last verified 27 August 2026

Spoiler-free case notes

A run of break-ins produces a crime scene that has been unusually cleaned. The team investigates what was removed, what was left and why.

No ending spoilers: this guide never names the killer, explains the solution or reveals the final deduction.

Episode facts and production credits

SeriesSeries 4
Episode2 of 6
First UK broadcast3 April 2026
Approximate runtime58 minutes
Mystery formatThe spotless burglary
BroadcasterBBC One
Production companyRed Planet Pictures
WriterAwaiting end-credit verification
DirectorAwaiting end-credit verification
ProducerSeries production credit awaiting episode-level check

Unverified names are deliberately left blank rather than copied from an unsourced list.

What makes this case distinctive

This is a puzzle of possession, access and timing. The useful question is not simply what disappeared, but who needed the scene to be understood in a particular way.

Why watch this episode?

A mid-series case that gives Humphrey and Esther a distinct variation on the spotless burglary, while the regular ensemble story continues around the investigation.

Regular cast

The continuing Shipton Abbott ensemble is listed separately from actors appearing for this case.

Photograph of Kris Marshall, who plays DI Humphrey Goodman
DI Humphrey Goodman

Kris Marshall

An English actor known for comedy and drama, Marshall first played Humphrey Goodman in Death in Paradise before leading Beyond Paradise.

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Photograph of Sally Bretton, who plays Martha Lloyd
Martha Lloyd

Sally Bretton

An English actor whose television work includes Martha Lloyd in the Paradise dramas and Lucy Adams in the long-running comedy Not Going Out.

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Photograph of Zahra Ahmadi, who plays DS Esther Williams
DS Esther Williams

Zahra Ahmadi

A British actor whose screen work spans drama and comedy, including Esther Williams in Beyond Paradise and roles in The Bay and EastEnders.

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Photograph of Dylan Llewellyn, who plays PC Kelby Hartford
PC Kelby Hartford

Dylan Llewellyn

A British actor known for ensemble comedy and drama, including PC Kelby Hartford in Beyond Paradise, James Maguire in Derry Girls and Jack in Big Boys.

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Photograph of Felicity Montagu, who plays Margo Martins
Margo Martins

Felicity Montagu

An English actor with extensive television, film and theatre work, including Margo Martins in Beyond Paradise and Lynn Benfield in the Alan Partridge comedies.

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Photograph of Barbara Flynn, who plays Anne Lloyd
Anne Lloyd

Barbara Flynn

An English actor whose long television career includes Anne Lloyd in Beyond Paradise and prominent roles in Cracker, The Beiderbecke Trilogy and Cranford.

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Photograph of Jamie Bamber, who plays Archie Hughes
Archie Hughes

Jamie Bamber

A British-American actor whose television work includes Archie Hughes in Beyond Paradise, Lee Adama in Battlestar Galactica and Matt Devlin in Law & Order: UK.

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Guest stars

These episode-specific credits are kept apart from the continuing cast.

Guest cast and role names are sourced from published episode-credit records. Each internal profile keeps the credit, source and related case files together.

Trivia and things to notice

  • This is regular episode 2 of Series 4.
  • Looe and the featured filming locations are in Cornwall; on screen they represent Shipton Abbott, a fictional town described as being in Devon.

Explore the production area

Civic building

Looe Guildhall

The Guildhall is associated with Shipton Abbott's police-station exterior in published location guides.

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Town and principal production base

Looe

Looe provides much of the streetscape, harbour character and coastal atmosphere used for fictional Shipton Abbott.

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Verification boundary: these are relevant production-area guides, not a claim that every scene in this episode used each location.

Sources and further reading

The case description is an original spoiler-safe summary prepared for Coastal Clues.

Continue the casebook

Previous regular episode

Series 4, Episode 1

A crime novelist’s death appears to echo a final book. Humphrey asks whether fiction predicted events, inspired them or was arranged to conceal the truth.

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Next regular episode

Series 4, Episode 3

An allergic reaction at a Morris-dancing event becomes suspicious when an emergency injector proves empty. The team reconstructs who handled it.

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