It’s been confirmed that Ralf Little will take over from Ardal O’Hanlon as the lead actor in series 10 of Death in Paradise.
After the show released a teaser picture on their Twitter feed, fans were quick to suggest it could be Ralf in the image.
And now it’s been revealed they were right, with Ralf set to play Detective Inspector Neville Parker.
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Neville is reluctantly dispatched to the fictional island of Saint Marie to investigate the suspicious death of a woman from his home city, Manchester.
Ralf said of his new role: “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 in Paradise this series.”
Red Planet Pictures 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. We’re hugely excited about the future and can’t wait for the audience to meet D.I Parker.”
Tommy Bulfin, Commissioning Editor of BBC Drama said: “I am so pleased to welcome Ralf Little to the island, who we know will be brilliant in the role of D.I. Parker.
“Death in Paradise brings escapism and joy to BBC One and I can’t wait for viewers to see what’s in store in the new year.”
The show, which features weekly whodunnits in the Caribbean sunshine, has already been commissioned for its 10th series by the BBC, even though series nine hasn’t even aired.
It took less than 0.005 seconds to say yes to playing the new DI!
It was announced earlier this month that D.I. Mooney (Ardal O’Hanlon) will leave screens during this upcoming series – however, viewers will have to tune in to see exactly how and why he departs.
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Ralf’s entry to the show was initially teased with a photo on social media.
The photo was captioned: “Here’s a sneak peek of the new D.I taking over from Ardal O’Hanlon to unravel the island’s murder mysteries.
“Who do you think will be playing him? Answers on a postcard, please! (sic)”
Greetings from the Caribbean!
Here’s a sneak peek of the new D.I taking over from Ardal O’Hanlon to unravel the island’s murder mysteries.
Who do you think will be playing him? Answers on a postcard, please! #DeathInParadise coming to @BBCOne in 2020. pic.twitter.com/GgiOXMxqYj
— Death in Paradise (@deathinparadise) October 18, 2019
And a source confirmed the news to the Daily Mirror newspaper, saying: “Ralf has already started work solving strange deaths on the show and we think fans will love him.”
This is not the first time the lead character in the show has changed, as the crime-solving role has also been played by Ben Miller from 2011 to 2014, and Kris Marshall from 2014 to 2017.
Ralf made his name playing Anthony in the Royle Family, but has also starred in show such as Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps.
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