BBC Death in Paradise fans reeling after tragic opening twist leaves ...

BBC fans eagerly awaiting the fresh season of Death in Paradise had their excitement cut short after a tragic twist that came mere minutes into the series premiere.

Viewers settled in at 9pm tonight (January 31) to watch the fourteenth series of the popular drama, with new character Officer Benjamin Brice introduced in the opening moments.

His backstory unfolded from his childhood hardships through to his accomplishments in police training and graduation, all leading up to his imminent first day with Police Saint Marie.

In an especially poignant moment, Benjamin is seen recording his reflections on life for his social media followers. "I want you to know, if you're feeling lost you don't need to go through what I did - you just need to find your purpose in life like me. And once you do, nobody can take that away from you," he said, followed by a proud glance at his police uniform.

But the next day, Benjamin fails to show up for work. We soon see his lifeless body at the side of the road after a jogger calls it in to the police.

This unexpected turn had viewers reeling after they had grown attached to Benjamin and his story. The swiftly took to social media to express their disbelief at such a swift departure, which all happened before the show's opening theme tune had played, reports the Mirror.

One show fan commented: "This might be the most emotionally devastating our theme song has ever felt. Never getting over this one," before adding: "Fastest I've ever fallen for a character and had them ripped away... Fully broke my heart, poor Benjamin."

"I was not expecting that start to Death in Paradise. WHAAAAAAAT!?" another viewer shared, complete with a shocked face emoji.

One even likened the episode's start to the emotional opening of the Pixar movie, Up, which also depicts a sad life story in a condensed way. Meanwhile a third fan of the series penned: "Benjamin Brice was killed quicker than Charlie Hulme."

Despite his fleeting screen time on the show, Officer Brice left a lasting impression on fans of Death in Paradise. The role of the unfortunate copper is played by Anthony J Abraham, known for his roles as Fillik in The Acolyte and Jack Ryan in Bad Education.

The new series of Death In Paradise sees Don Gilet make his official debut as lead detective DI Mervin Wilson, after taking over from Ralf Little, who played DI Neville Parker.

Death in Paradise's first episode of Season 14 is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer