Replacing Ardal O'Hanlon

Ralf Little is to be the new star of  BBC drama Death in Paradise, replacing Ardal O'Hanlon.

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

 Little said: '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.' 

Executive producer Tim Key from Red Planet Pictures 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. '

Little will take his role in the episodes from January.

It was announced earlier this month that Ardal O’Hanlon  will leave his role of DI Mooney during this upcoming series

Published: 20 Oct 2019