Spy: Santa will die in upcoming NZ TV murder mystery

Neill Rea who plays Detective Mike Shepherd with Nic Sampson who plays Detective Constable Breen.

Who killed Santa? That question is about to be asked on hit Kiwi drama The Brokenwood Mysteries.

Spy can reveal that a Santa impersonator is set for an untimely demise in an upcoming tele-feature episode of the show.

"To kill Santa is unforgivable. But when it is revealed the deceased is only a man dressed in a Santa suit, there is some relief among the children of Brokenwood," the show's lead writer Tim Balme said.

"For Detective Mike Shepherd it's a murder, none the less, and when one of Santa's elves [Jared, played by Pana Hema-Taylor] is found beaten under a hedge, a true mystery emerges."

The show was the big winner in this week's NZ on Air funding round, securing $4 million for a third series.

The series has built a loyal following on Prime TV and the show has also been a hit in Australia and France. Its first season is screening on Australia's GEM, a Nine Network channel, and season two has premiered in the US and Canada on subscription service Acorn TV.

The show will also return next year to primetime in France where it was a ratings winner.

Balme will be busy this summer writing scripts for the new series.

Brokenwood's leading man Neill Rea will spend Christmas at home and his co-star, Fern Sutherland, who is living in Sydney, will return to New Zealand when filming resumes next year.