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ARDAL O’HANLON is fantastic company. He jokes, he laughs, he tells stories, he pulls faces... anyone would think he’s a performer. On a cold winter’s morning, it’s time well spent with this twinkly, funny man.
The comedian and actor has appeared in many of our much-loved sitcoms, including Father Ted and My Hero, and is now getting ready for his third season in the drama Death In Paradise on BBC One, a series which has come to define how we get through the long, dark nights in January.
Setting a show on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe may have something to do with its appeal. But there are other reasons why the murder mystery series pulls in millions of viewers every week.
“It has a timeless quality to it,” says
Ardal, sipping his tea. “It’s not pretending to be cutting-edge, contemporary, prime-time drama. What’s clear is that there are millions of viewers out there who want something... I wouldn’t say undemanding because it does tax the brain in terms of trying to solve the puzzle but they want something that isn’t gory, that isn’t violent.
“I know my parents would be typical of the type of person who would watch it. And they wouldn’t in a million years tune in to something I like, such as Happy Valley, Line Of Duty or Killing Eve.
“Our episodes are charming. They’re funny and they’re light, with tongue in their cheek, and they do have these pretty complex puzzles which are not that easy to solve – and I’m meant to be a professional detective!”
He says that when he reads each scrip “Invariably I don’t guess it,” which make us mortals feel much better. “They’re clever scripts.”
Ardal, 53 and married with three childr plays Detective Inspector Jack Mooney. followed two fellow comedy actors, Kris Marshall and Ben Miller, into the role. Al three have chosen a similar but subtly different approach to a similar character fish-out-of-water detective who has dealt variously with loss, homesickness and, le face it, blisteringly hot conditions.
Ardal must enjoy the role, though, as h keeps going back.
In the opening episode, Jack and the team are left baffled when passenger Pau Raynor (Andrew Tiernan from police dra Marcella) is stabbed on the express bus t Honoré, the island’s capital.
Suspicion falls upon the fellow passeng but with no drop-off points and no one leaving their seats, it’s a classic whodunn with a limited number of suspects. But th doesn’t make it any easier to solve.
The guest stars are O’Hanlon’s favouri part of the show. “It keeps it fresh for us, really does. I can’t reveal who’s in this series but I can say in one single episode there are three household names. Three
“Generally for me, some are people I know, some I’ve admired from afar and, i one case, it was someone who I used to p Tuesday night football with 10 years ago. was brilliant to catch up! Many don’t nee