The festive season brought a special treat for Death in Paradise fans with a Christmas special, but one familiar face was missing from the celebrations – Detective Inspector Neville Parker. Ralf Little, who has been at the helm of the show as the lead detective for five years, confirmed his departure in March.
The 44 year old actor, famed for roles in The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, had once called the part his ‘dream job’, sharing his enthusiasm: “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.”
(Image: BBC)
Ralf stepped into the shoes previously filled by Father Ted’s Ardal O’Hanlon as DI Jack Mooney, and before that, Kris Marshall and Ben Miller, who originated the role when the hit series launched in 2011. Now, the baton is passed to EastEnders villain Don Gilet, who will step into the role of DI Mervin Wilson.
Ralf’s reasons for leaving the sun-soaked series were hinted at in 2021 when he expressed frustration over people calling the show, which boasts up to 8 million viewers and international acclaim across more than 240 territories, including Australia, France, South Africa, and the US, a ‘guilty pleasure’. The show recently celebrated its 100th episode, marking a milestone in its successful run.
Discussing his departure from the tropical setting of St Marie on Death in Paradise, Ralf talked to BBC Breakfast about moving on post-show. He expressed that there’s nothing to be regretful about, proudly stating: “I am still trying to gently steer the narrative away from that phrase,” and added, “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”, reports the Mirror.
(Image: BBC)
Ralf disclosed that exiting the show after his fifth series was a premeditated decision, sharing details of his conversation with production: “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.”
The resolution to the tantalising ‘will they/won’t they’ romance saw Ralf’s character Neville riding off into the sunset with DS Florence Cassell (portrayed by Joséphine Jobert), giving fans a satisfying conclusion to his storyline.
Viewers were left in floods of tears watching Neville’s heartfelt departure in the finale of series 13 of Death In Paradise. It was touch and go for a moment, but after a little nudge from friends, he finally bared his soul to Florence at the port, declaring: “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.
To everyone’s relief, Florence reciprocated, sealing their adventure into the sunset. Over on social media, fans hailed it as the ‘perfect ending’. One viewer posted: “I’m sobbing Neville and Florence sailing off into the sun together was the perfect ending for them both.”
Meanwhile, other comments included: “#DeathInParadise finally managed to get a couple together! Only took about 14 years!” and “OMG. I can’t believe it. They are going travelling together.”
(Image: BBC)
But the excitement didn’t stop there — with newcomer DI Mervin Wilson played by the talented Don Gilet, known for his infamous role as Lucas Johnson in EastEnders, taking centre stage in Saint Marie this Christmas after Commissioner Selwyn Patterson called him over in last night’s episode (Sunday 22).
During a chat on The One Show, Don spilled the beans about DI Wilson’s rocky start stating that his character is ‘not really liked’ and that he ‘doesn’t want to be’ on Saint Marie.
View news Source: https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/reason-ralf-little-really-quit-34362741
