Death in Paradise's Ralf Little departure explained after fans in dispute over exit
Death in Paradise has returned to BBC One, with Don Gilet taking on the role of DI Mervin Wilson. As he was about to leave Saint Marie, his superior called him back to solve a murder case.
Since his arrival, viewers have been curious about what happened to Mervin's predecessors, including Ralf Little's character, DI Neville Parker. He first appeared in the ninth season and made his exit in the thirteenth.
Initially, Neville was not fond of the island environment and suffered from severe allergies. He only came to Saint Marie because a British detective was required to sign off on a case.
READ MORE: BBC Death in Paradise star teases 'rekindled' romance for Naomi Thomas
READ MORE: Cycle trail takes in parks, rivers, historic pub and one of UK's best free attractions
However, he chose to stay on the island and gradually adapted to the lifestyle. He eventually left to travel the globe and pursue new opportunities with his love interest, Florence Cassell, played by Joséphine Jobert.
Here's why the actor decided to leave the show and why his departure has sparked such a divide among viewers.
Ralf Little shared with BBC Breakfast the reasoning behind his departure from the series, stating it was a pre-planned exit. He explained: "You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed.
"If it was just a heart decision I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years. But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed.
"He deserved a happy ending and it just felt right."
On social media, he expressed his gratitude for the support he received. He continued: "I had no idea if viewers would take to my interpretation of Neville's character and indeed to me, so it was quite a relief the response has been overwhelming."
He mentioned that he is now moving on to "new challenges and adventures", leaving to explore new opportunities.
Before his anticipated departure from the show, fans flocked to Reddit to voice their opinions, with and_yet_another_user commenting: "If they persist with him being such an idiot in his character, his departure can't come soon enough for me, which kind of p***** me off because I really like Little and was looking forward to him joining the cast."
The Reddit user was quick to amend their choice of words, explaining: "I meant his annoying idiosyncrasies rather than being an idiot."
Yet, this opinion elicited mixed reactions among fans, with Nalkarj countering: "I think the character’s been pretty great so far. And I think Little’s acting is the best the show has seen since Miller left."
Ged_UK disagreed with the criticism entirely, saying: "I don't think he's an idiot at all."
Many viewers were empathetic towards the series' leading detectives often departing after a few seasons. In_the_play expressed understanding: "Without family it is still tough. And it is a very long commitment. Most actors want to do a variety of different projects, I imagine this programme leaves very little time to do much else."
'Death in Paradise' airs on BBC One on Fridays at 9pm.
