Death in Paradise's 'longest serving detective' breaks silence on exit after five years

Death in Paradise's "longest serving detective" has broken his silence on his exit after five years.

Ralf Little notably played Detective Inspector Neville Parker on the BBC show, which centres around crime on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie.

Neville joined the Saint Marie police team in 2020, taking over from DI Jack Mooney (Ardal O'Hanlon).

His tenure as Detective Inspector saw him face many ups and downs, including overcoming his allergies and aversions to the sun, and even an attempt to frame him for murder.

Fans were therefore left devastated when actor Ralf announced his departure from the show last year, with EastEnders star Don Gilet soon announced as his replacement.

While appearing on Saturday Kitchen this weekend (August 16), Ralf opened up on the reason behind his exit from the show.

"I'd done five years and that made me the longest-serving detective on the show," he explained to host Matt Tebbutt.

"It felt like my character Neville's story had been told. Me and the producers sat down, and we, kind of, all agreed.

"Maybe we could have done another season, even maybe a couple, but you don't want to keep doing something when it feels like it's come to its natural conclusion.

"We felt like his story had finished in a quite rounded, quite beautiful and poignant way, so it felt like the right time to leave. Now, instead of spending six months of the year in the Caribbean, I've got to be in Clapham, but I'm very happy to be here."

Ralf went on to explain the "tough" conditions he faced while filming abroad, adding: "It wasn't and isn't as easy as it looks. I'm lucky enough to enjoy the job that I do, so that always makes things better. But it's physically demanding.

"It's like a marathon for six months out there, and especially wearing the costume... You have to put that on and there's a lot of standing around in the heat. You'd be amazed at how physically exerting [it is].

"Listen, there's harder jobs in the world, I'm not saying I deserve a medal or anything, but it is not a big holiday that people think it is. It's hard."

The 45-year-old actor concluded: "It's an amazing show and I'm glad it's still going from strength to strength. I'm delighted because I want nothing but success for that show.

"It's been a huge part of my life. It's been one of the most magical experiences of my life, and I just feel really privileged to have been a part of it."

Death in Paradise is available to stream on BBC iPlayer