Beyond Paradise leaves Humphrey and Martha heartbroken – but there's a silver lining

And the season 3 finale, while thoroughly heartbreaking for them, provided an opportunity for Humphrey and Martha to showcase just how robust their partnership is, regardless of the obstacles placed before them.

Cast your mind back to the 2023 Christmas special, when they first discussed the possibility of becoming foster parents. Their initial conversations were tentative. Fostering is not a like-for-like substitute if you had your heart set on raising a child of your own, and it also comes with a raft of unique challenges which you can't entirely prepare for, however great your will to make it work.

But eventually, discussion turned into action and they have since welcomed a number of children into their home, the latest being Rosie, who came to them after her mum was rearrested and placed on remand.

As you’d expect, she was unsure of her new surroundings when she first arrived, and even more unsure of Humphrey, as most people are when they initially meet him. There were night terrors, a resistance to new routines and one particularly explosive outburst involving a green pen and a pristine white wall.

But in time, with encouragement and commitment from Humphrey and Martha, who were able to give Rosie a loving, stable support system right when she needed it most, their new guest settled into her temporary home and, before long, the three of them had become their own little unit, which made what happened next all the more painful.

During Rosie's birthday party, the social worker called. There would be no trip to the zoo tomorrow as promised because Rosie was going home to her mum, news which left Humphrey and Martha utterly bereft.

"I didn't think it would hurt this much," remarked a dejected Humphrey, whose relationship with their foster child had blossomed in recent days.

While they knew that moment would eventually come, and there was no part of them that begrudged her being reunited with her mum, they didn't expect the call to arrive quite so soon, and they probably didn't expect to have formed such a deep connection with her.

"You're family now, so if you ever need anything, we're only a phone call away," said Martha.

But despite the sinking feeling that came with saying goodbye to Rosie, and their inevitable fears about how they'll handle similar situations in future, or if this is even something they want to continue exploring, there is a silver lining.

As the car carrying Rosie pulled away, our focus was drawn to Humphrey and Martha, who were holding hands – a small but comforting act that reaffirms their commitment to one another and gently brings the focus back to their relationship, which is the beating heart of Beyond Paradise.

In a later scene, they'd moved to the boat, where they shared a bottle of red.

"To you and me," said Humphrey, raising his glass.

"To you and me," echoed Martha.

There was a time when Martha believed that without a child in their lives, she wouldn't be enough for Humphrey and he would grow to resent her, hence her decision to leave him in season 1. She admitted to Esther that that insecurity does still occasionally rear its head.

"But he makes me happy," she added, and since that particularly painful period in their relationship, they've strengthened as a couple, their unit of two now as solid as it's ever been.

"Humphrey and Martha have their own challenges," said Kris Marshall ahead of season 3. "And that kind of storyline, where they may have been fractured, has been done. And I don't think that we need to revisit that.

"But also, I think that Humphrey and Martha are quite unique in terms of a sort of main protagonist couple who don't have these massive indiscretions and dramas between them.

"They're just a good couple to spend time with... they're just a really warm, friendly couple who love each other implicitly.

"And I think that's quite unique for what is ostensibly a drama, to not have that drama and to still be fun to spend time with them, I think that's a real feather in our cap."

While there's a possibility that they wouldn't have survived losing Rosie a few years ago, any heartbreak that they suffer moving forwards now actually brings them closer together, rather than tearing them apart.

"I think that they [the audience] enjoy the love between Martha and Humphrey and they enjoy that they still have fun together," added Bretton.

"And of course, they've had their ups and downs through everything, but they are very bonded, and I think people enjoy seeing that sort of relationship. I think it's comforting."

Life's pendulum will of course continue to swing, and there will be moments when they're challenged as a couple, but Humphrey and Martha remain steadfast and true.

Beyond Paradise is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.