Ralf Little says he didn't want to leave BBC Death In Paradise as he reveals reason for exit
05.04.2024 - 13:25
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Ralf Little has opened up about his departure from the hit BBC series Death In Paradise, revealing that leaving was not his personal choice. Viewers were gutted over the exit of his much-loved character DI Neville Parker after he decided to leave Saint Marie during the series finale at the end of last month.
Now, Ralf, who is also famed for his roles in Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps and The Royle Family, expressed his true feelings during an appearance on BBC Breakfast.
He shared that he would have loved to continue playing the lead detective role indefinitely, saying: "This last series was always going to be my last series, I had talks with the BBC, and with Red Planet, the production company and we all agreed that it just felt... if it was in my heart, like if it was just a heart decision, I'd have wanted to do it for 20 more years.
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"But just for the show, and... for my character Neville, it just sort of felt like his story... it deserved to be sort of finished and his sort of journey... sort of deserved to be completed and he deserved a nice happy ending and so it just felt right."
The 44-year-old, who became the longest-serving detective inspector on the Caribbean-set drama as DI Parker, left the show at the end of last month after a four-year tenure. His character's exit storyline saw him join his love interest DS Florence Cassell, portrayed by Josephine Jobert, on a new adventure away from the fictional Saint Marie.
Ralf, who took the reins from Father Ted's Ardal O'Hanlon in 2020, has hinted that a woman might be next