Death in Paradise star details filming ‘exceptional' new drama with EastEnders legend

Wales Online

12-05-2025

Death in Paradise star details filming 'exceptional' new drama with EastEnders legend
Death in Paradise, EastEnders and Bridgerton stars will co-star in a drama dubbed 'the new Big Little Lies'.
Emily Taaffe appeared in an episode of Death in Paradise
A new series that has been described as the 'next Big Little Lies' is coming to Paramount Plus, and it boasts a very star-studded cast.
The show, which is a drama about motherhood and friendship, is based on a novel from Sunday Times best-selling author Sarah Vaughan.
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The series has already drawn comparisons to Reese Witherspoon shows like Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere thanks to its overlapping themes - and the famous cast has already created quite a buzz.
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The six-episode drama follows four very different women, who have nothing much in common except for their due dates.
Inglourious Basterds' Diane Kruger plays Jess opposite Bridgerton actress Shelley Conn, who portrays Charlotte.
Emily Taaffe, who has starred in many high-profile shows including Death in Paradise and Call the Midwife, also stars as Mel alongside EastEnders icon Jo Joyner, who appears as Liz.
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Speaking ahead of the show's release, Emily discussed working on the 'exceptional' series alongside her talented castmates.
Emily Taaffe has also appeared in Call the Midwife
She reminisced about one scene that brought the whole cast all together, where she is thrown into a pool in Provence.
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She said: 'It was a really, really fun scene to do but it was also special because it was the first time the eight main actors had all been together.
'It was just lovely to have the whole ensemble there - all four main women, their partners and kids.
'It just felt like we were truly in their world and for me that was exceptionally special.'
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Emily also noted that parenthood brought her co-stars together, saying: 'It was lovely that each of the main cast, the director, the writers and the executive producers were all parents, so we had a shared experience to draw on.
'It was just nice to be able to show someone a picture of your kid and know they aren't going to be bored by it!'
Jo Joyner stars in Little Disasters
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Meanwhile, EastEnders star Jo opened up about her character Liz, even commenting on her friendship with fellow soap star, Emmerdale's Zoe Henry.
She said: 'Whilst we were shooting, one of my closest friends Zoe Hentry put a pic on her Instagram of a long weekend away she was on with five NCT mates that she'd known for twenty years! So, friendships like these do happen.'
Speaking about some of the more taboo pregnancy topics covered in the show, saying: 'When this script was presented to me, I felt very strongly that I had to do it.
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'I know the author Sarah Vaughan feels the same - that we need to get the word out there about these conditions so the next woman who's suffering from it doesn't think she's completely lost it and that, God forbid, there's no way out.'
The official description of Little Disasters from Paramount Plus reads: 'When Jess takes her baby to hospital with an unexplained head injury, her close friend and on-duty A&E doctor Liz must make the excruciating decision of whether to call social services, setting off an explosive chain of events for their friendship group.'
Little Disasters is coming soon to Paramount Plus.