The latest episode of BBC’s hit drama Beyond Paradise surprised viewers with an unexpected reunion of two Love Actually stars. The murder mystery is led by Kris Marshall, who stars as Humprey Goddard, a detective tackling crime with his team in the fictional town of Shipton Abbey.

However, as the third instalment of series three aired, fans were shocked to see newcomer Abdul Salis look worlds away from his memorable role in the Christmas favourite. The episode saw Salis reunite with Marshall after they two played best friends Tony and Colin in 2003’s Love Actually. He is best remembered as the sceptical friend who experiences love at first sight at the end of the film.

22 years ago, Salis was fresh-faced in the acting world and looked youthful with a clean-shaven face and a low haircut.

In his new Beyond Paradise role as Dr. Lionel Jennings, the actor had much longer hair, which was now speckled with grey and silver coverage.

The gripping episode saw three customers fall ill after tasting sweets from a chocolate shop and Humphrey was tasked with determining whether the chocolatier was set up or if she orchestrated the attack.

However, the team were left puzzled when they found no trace of poison in the remaining chocolates, leading them to question how the culprit ensured the victims consumed the right people.

Salis’s character, Dr. Lionel Jennings, ran a therapy practice and became the second victim of the poisonous sweets.

As well as adding Beyond Paradise to his long acting CV, he is also best known for his role as paramedic Curtis Cooper on Casualty and has also starred in Doctor Who, Father Brown, Hard Cell, and The Wheel of Time.

As well as the lead star, the newcomer featured alongside the main cast of Sally Bretton; Zahra Ahmadi and Dylan Llewellyn.

The drama also featured other special guest stars including Hugh Dennis, Angela Curran, Gabby Best, Jamie Bamber, Steve Oram, Amalia Vitale, and Jade Harrison.