New star for Death in Paradise confirmed

UK actor Ralf Little (The Royle Family) has been confirmed as the new star of Death in Paradise.

He will replace Ardal O’Hanlon, whose departure was recently announced.

Little takes on the role of Detective Inspector Neville Parker, who is reluctantly dispatched to the fictional island of Saint Marie to investigate the suspicious death of a woman from his home city, Manchester. He has previously appeared in the series, in the role of a holidaymaker called Will Teague.

He joins series regulars Don Warrington, Tobi Bakare, Shyko Amos, Aude Legastelois and Elizabeth Bourgine in Guadeloupe where the series is filmed.

“It took less than 0.005 seconds to say yes to playing the new DI! 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 is a joy to play Neville and I can’t wait for viewers to see him,” he said.

Executive producer Tim Key said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ralf to the team – he’s not only a great actor but also extremely funny and from the moment he stepped on set we knew the show was in safe hands. Neville is a true fish out of water and the island of Saint Marie is going to test him to the core.”

Ardal O’Hanlon will leave during the upcoming series with Little will to take up his role from January.

Source: Digital Spy