Death in Paradise is back for a Christmas special this weekend - but one character who won't be making an appearance is Detective Inspector Neville Parker.
Ralf Little announced he would be leaving the BBC show in March after five years playing the lead role. The 44-year-old, who is also known for The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, had previously described it as his 'dream job' and said: "It took less than 0.005 seconds to say yes to playing the new DI! How could I not? It is a joy to play Neville and I can’t wait for viewers to see him in paradise.”
He took over the lead role from Father Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon, who played DI Jack Mooney. Prior to that the lead was played by Kris Marshall, with the original lead played by Ben Miller when the popular series began back in 2011. Now it's all change again as EastEnders baddie Don Gilet is set to take over the reins as DI Mervin Wilson.
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BBC/Red Planet/Denis Guyenon)Why did Ralf Little leave Death in Paradise?
In 2021 Ralf admitted that it made him angry to hear people describing the drama, which attracts up to 8 million viewers, as their 'guilty pleasure'. It's also screened around the globe in over 240 territories around the world including Australia, France, South Africa and the US, and celebrated its 100th episode during the current run.
"I am still trying to gently steer the narrative away from that phrase,” he said. “What is there to be guilty about? It is a high quality show, with a complex murder with new characters and a mystery that has to be resolved - and they do it all in an hour. And it looks beautiful. Never was murder so enjoyable. It is an incredible achievement. It is something I am very proud of.”
Chatting to BBC Breakfast about his decision to leave the fictional island of St Marie, Ralf revealed it was always the plan for him to leave following his fifth series. He said: “You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed.
“If it was just a heart decision, I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years. But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed. He deserved a happy ending and it just felt right.”
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BBC)How did Ralf's character leave the show?
The last viewers say of Ralf - aka DI Neville - was when he rode off into the sunset with DS Florence Cassell (Joséphine Jobert) after their 'will they/won't they get together' storyline finally got an answer.
Fans were left sobbing as they watched his final scenes at the end of series 13. But it almost didn't happen. It was only after Neville's friends and colleagues intervened that he revealed his true feelings, romantically telling her at the port how he felt about her. He said: "'If the unknown is all you have to offer then that's good enough for me. All I want is for us to be together." Luckily for fans, Florence felt the same and Neville got his happy ending.
Dubbing it the 'perfect ending', one viewer wrote on social media: "I'm sobbing Neville and Florence sailing off into the sun together was the perfect ending for them both." Another said: "#DeathInParadise finally managed to get a couple together! Only took about 14 years!" While a third added: "OMG. I can't believe it. They are going traveling together."
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BBC)Who is the new lead character in Death In Paradise?
British detective DI Mervin Wilson, played by Don Gilet is set to descend on the island of Saint Marie this Christmas after being summoned by Commissioner Selwyn Patterson - but it’s not all sunshine and festivities for the police force.
Fans will recognise 57-year-old Don for playing one of his most famous roles in EastEnders as baddie Lucas Johnson, but what can we expect from his new role as Melvin?
The team are under pressure when a man dressed as Santa is found shot dead on the beach. The case gets all the more intriguing when two more Santas are shot on the island. While Mervin is hellbent on cracking the case, his prickly behaviour doesn’t go down well with his new teammates.
Chatting on The One Show, Don gave viewers a sneak peek into DI Wilson's integration into island life: "He's not really liked, to start with. He doesn't wanna be there, doesn't like the place, the pace of the place... All this is working against him and against his methods," he confessed.
He tries to solve the case as quickly as possible to get back to London, but things take a shocking turn at a Christmas fair when Mervin is accused by a local of being the Santa shooter. So is he a killer?
When is the Death in Paradise Christmas special on?
The Death in Paradise Christmas special will air on Sunday December 22 on BBC One at 8.30pm, or catch up on BBC iPlayer.
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