Death in Paradise fans say the same thing about crossover in Ben Miller's new series

BBC enthusiasts have just realised there's a connection in Ben Miller's latest BBC series, Austin. In the show, Ben portrays Julian Hartswood, a wealthy, celebrated British children's author whose empire begins to crumble when he retweets a post from a white supremacist.

Complications escalate when Austin (Michael Theo), a neurodivergent young man in his twenties, confronts Julian at a book signing in Canberra, claiming to be his offspring.

Subsequent inquiries and deductions reveal that Austin is indeed Julian's son, conceived during a time when Julian was romantically involved with Ingrid (Sally Phillips), who is now his spouse and business collaborator of 28 years.

Initially, Julian attempts to dismiss Austin, hoping he will vanish for good. However, following his shrewd agent's counsel, he realises that embracing his long-lost autistic son might be the ticket to salvaging his faltering career.

Yet, sharp-eyed fans of Death in Paradise have detected a crossover between Ben's new comedic venture and the Australian spin-off of Death in Paradise, Return to Paradise, reports Wales Online.

Tai Hara appears as bartender Luke in Austin, but also plays Glenn Strong, the former fiance of Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson) in Return to Paradise.

A fan exclaimed on a Facebook group dedicated to the series: "I'm watching the new Ben Miller show Austin. There is a character called Barman Luke. The character is played by Tai Hara, who also plays Glenn Strong in Paradise. Glenn is Mac's ex-fiance."

The beloved actor Ben starred as the original detective Richard Poole in Death in Paradise, but met a shocking end when his character was killed off with an ice pick.

Fans of the sun-soaked detective series have spotted a connection between Ben's new show and the world of Death in Paradise, noting similarities between their characters.

After Return to Paradise aired last year, it caught the attention of viewers who drew parallels with past Death in Paradise detectives, notably Richard Poole.

Social media was abuzz with fan reactions, one writing: "I liked it! The lead character seems to be like a female Richard Poole or Neville Parker."

Another chimed in: "Yes, you're right, very Richard Poole-ish."

And another shared their sentiment: "Just when I thought DI Richard Poole was not a people-friendly person, up pops DI Mackenzie Clarke."

In discussing his new show, Ben revealed: "Darren Ashton, the director, is an old friend of mine. We worked on a film in Australia called Razzle Dazzle in 2007 and we'd been looking for something to do ever since.

"A few years ago, he was staying with me in the UK, and he showed me Love on the Spectrum, which I absolutely loved, and I was completely blown away by Michael Theo in it.

"I thought he was extraordinary and such a fascinating person in the show and on screen. After bingeing the entire series, I asked Darren, "Do you think Michael could act? I get the feeling he could, and Darren agreed. We said, "Do you think we could try and come up with some kind of show where Michael was the central character? and that was the beginning of it."

Austin is available to watch on iPlayer.