While hit BBC show Death in Paradise - filmed on the tropical Caribbean island of Guadeloupe - sounds like paradise to work on, actors have revealed that it’s not as fun as it seems.
Fans have noticed that the stars seem to have a short shelf life, with the show welcoming its fifth Detective Inspector this Christmas since the show first aired in late 2011. The stars themselves have noted that nobody seems to last more than a few years, and divulged that they’re up against long hours in blazing heat with little free time or contact with their loved ones.
Ardal O’Hanlon played DI Jack Mooney from 2017-2020, before taking a step back from the show. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, he shared that he worked up to 12 hours a day for six days a week, and was warned before starting that he might only “last two or three years.”
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(Image: BBC))He reminisced: "God, that was tough. Like, people don't believe you when you tell them how tough it was… It was such a radical change of scenery for me going from a country where I hardly ever leave the house, to kind of living outdoors for six months of the year, for four summers, but it was gruelling because you have a huge workload.
"And, of course, I'm not complaining about the work, but you have so much to prepare every day, so you don't have much downtime at all, you don't have the chance to enjoy the attractions out there… You just have to prepare so much every day, and you have to think quick on your feet. There was so many reasons for leaving it, I'd done four summers. That takes its toll at home as well. I knew the writing was on the wall, but my family stopped coming out to visit me, that was really the decider."
The Father Ted star added: "They kind of tell you that at the beginning, like they said, 'You know, you might last two years or three years, but you know, you probably won't last four! Nothing prepares you for it.
I remember the producer came to visit me and we spent a day together. This is maybe a month before I went out there. And he was basically trying to go, 'You know, you can still get out of this, if you want!' Do you know what I mean, he was kind of almost... he was really painting a very bleak picture saying, 'You know, like, it's gonna be tough.' You know, there's hurricanes to deal with. There's people going crazy because, like, people go stir crazy in that environment, you know, you're always dealing with something, like there's creatures that want to kill you."
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BBC)Ardal was replaced by Ralf Little - who in March the Mirror exclusively revealed was leaving the show - and is set to be replaced by EastEnders star Don Gilet from the festive special onwards, also complained about unstable wifi on set and frequent power cuts, meaning that he couldn’t get in touch with friends and family back home. With his fiancée, American screenplay writer Lindsey Ferrentino, not on the island, The Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star admitted that the lack of contact could get him down.
Before Ardal, My Family’s Kris Marshall played the main DI role, and also claimed that he never planned to stay in the intense environment for long. "When I was first offered the job, my son was six months old and my wife wasn't working, so it was a very easy decision. We decided I would do Death in Paradise for a few years until it became impractical.” he shared.
Kris revealed that his son in particular loved the lifestyle of living abroad, but was missing out on important schooling. He told Lorraine Kelly: "He was very good on the beach but not so good with Maths and English, so I decided that it was time to get him to school. So the show had to go, really."
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