New star for Death in Paradise!
Having to spend months on the sunny Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe can’t be the worst gig an actor could get, so it’s little wonder that Ralf Little jumped at the chance to join BBC1’S hit drama Death in Paradise.
The Royle Family favourite will take over from Ardal O’hanlon as the show’s new lead character, playing Detective Inspector Neville
Parker, a British cop reluctantly sent to the beautiful (fictional) island of Saint Marie when a woman from his hometown of Manchester is murdered.
Neville is described as a ‘fish out of water’, so it may take him longer to embrace island life than Ralf!
‘It took less than 0.005 seconds to say, “Yes” to playing the new DI!’ he smiles. ‘How could I not? Ardal has been wonderful in the last few series and to follow in his footsteps in a place as idyllic as Guadeloupe was a great honour and a dream come true.
‘It’s a joy to play Neville and
I can’t wait for viewers to see him in this series of Paradise.’
A TRAGIC END?
Ralf will join the cast during series nine, which starts in January. However show bosses are staying tight-lipped about when and how Ardal’s DI Jack Mooney will leave the island, teasing that there won’t be a ‘dry eye in the house’.
It could be the character is killed off like the original DI, Richard Poole (played by Ben Miller) or simply leave the island like his predecessor, Kris Marshall’s DI Humphrey Goodman.
Ardal has decided it’s time to quit the show after three years so he can pursue other roles and is hoping his next job takes him away from the heat.
‘It’s time to move on and explore other opportunities – preferably nearer the Arctic Circle,’ he jokes. ‘I’ve spent four Summers in Guadeloupe playing DI Jack Mooney, solving over 20 murder cases! It’s been a hugely rewarding experience, working with talented actors, directors and crew while discovering a magical part of the world.
‘I’m confident Death in Paradise will go from strength to strength and viewers will share my enthusiasm for Jack’s successor!’
Ralf Little replaces Ardal O’hanlon as leading man of the BBC1 crime drama