Death in Paradise fans have been left reeling following the departure of Detective Inspector Neville Parker, played by Ralf Little.
At the end of Sunday’s (24 March) season finale, Neville sailed off into the sunset with DS Florence Cassell, after rushing to the port to declare his feelings for her, saying: “’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.”
The 44-year-old actor from Oldham has played the part since 2020, when he took over from Ardal O’Hanlon.
Writing on Instagram following the season finale, he said: “My time on Saint Marie has come to an end – what an end!”, he exclaimed.
“New adventures await Neville – and he got to sail away into the sunset with his best friend. Who knows what happens for them next! I want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who watched and supported the show when I arrived four and a half years ago.”
Tim Key, executive producer for Red Planet Pictures, said: “Joining a successful show like Death in Paradise as the lead is a daunting and risky prospect, but Ralf’s confidence and talent shone through from day one and the audience response to Neville and his journey has been amazing.
“I can’t thank Ralf enough for everything he has brought to the show, on and off screen, and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Will there be a Death in Paradise season 14 – and who will take over from Ralf Little?
The BBC has confirmed the crime drama will be returning for season 14, and will likely reappear on screens in January 2025.
The sun-soaked show will also return for a fourth feature-length Christmas special.
Who will take over from Little is another matter, however.
Current odds place The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird as the favourite to pick up where Little left off.
The 39-year-old actor and comedian is also known for playing Adam Goodman in the Channel 4 comedy series Friday Night Dinner.
Other actors in the running for the top job include actor and comedian Diane Morgan.
Best known for her comic character Philomena Cunk and her turns in the mockumentary’s Cunk on Britain and Cunk on Earth, the 48-year-old from Bolton has also starred in Motherland, After Life and Mandy.
Gavin and Stacey actor, Matthew Horne, has also been mentioned as another possible candidate, alongside presenter Romesh Ranganathan, and Doctor Who and Broadchurch actor, Jodie Whittaker.
When is Beyond Paradise season 2 on TV?
In the meantime, the BBC has announced season 2 of Beyond Paradise.
Following a thrilling first season, which drew the attention of more than eight million viewers within the first month of airing, executive producer Tim Key said he was “over the moon” at how quickly viewers took to the spin-off.
The new season debuted on Friday 22 March at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Most of the cast members from season one will return to the fictional coastal town of Shipton Abbott, filmed with the picturesque backdrop of Devonshire fishing towns, including Looe, Saltash and Bere Ferrers.
The follow-up season is billed as “bolder and bigger”.
The official synopsis says: “Shipton Abbott continues to keep DI Humphrey Goodman and his team busy, with a baffling new crime each episode.
“From a death on a steam train to a missing teacher, the team have their work cut out – even more so with Police HQ’s threat of the local station house closure hanging over them. The pressure is on to get results.”
Zahra Ahmadi, who plays Detective Sergeant Esther Williams, has said: “[The characters are] more linked to the local surroundings.
“There’s a fishing boat case, and there’s a real sense of magic around the sea. We’ve got a murder mystery on a steam train, the school priest going missing and a medium predicting an arson attack. I feel like the stories come more out of the land this series.”
What about Return to Paradise?
If that is not enough for fans to look forward to, yet another spin-off, Return to Paradise, will be available to watch later this year.
This Australian version of one of the UK’s most-watched dramas will be set in the idyllic, beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove.
The series will follow the former golden girl of the London Metropolitan Police, Mackenzie Clarke, who moves back to her home down under after building a strong reputation for being able to crack the most impossible of cases in England.
Having escaped her hometown at the earliest opportunity six years previous, Mack vowed she’d return.
She left a lot of unanswered questions back home and will be forced to face them.
Sue Deeks, head of BBC Programme Acquisition, has said of Return to Paradise: “Everything we all love about Death in Paradise – the humour, the beautiful scenery, the likeable characters, the ingenious plots – [will now be] in a fabulous Australian setting.
“I cannot wait for BBC viewers to be introduced to Detective Mack and the good (and not so good!) folk of Dolphin Cove. What a treat we have in store!”
The six-part series will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.