Death in Paradise's new Detective Inspector sits in a hammock staring out at the ocean, wearing a green jacket and dorky backpack stocked with water and sunscreen. And ever since the BBC released this teaser image for Ardal O'Hanlon's replacement, we've been driving ourselves mad trying to work out who he is.

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So which actor is taking over the top detective job on Saint Marie? Let's take a closer look at the back of that head...

New Death in Paradise DI

Still wondering? Here are six British actors who might be our mystery man:

1. Neil Morrissey

Neil Morrissey
Getty

It's easy to imagine Neil Morrissey as a flustered fish-out-of-water in Saint Marie, and we already know he's an excellent comic actor. So could he be the man in the photo? Probably not, as his hair's now gone quite grey and his head's a little too conical (yes – we spent some time examining the mystery man's head shape). But we don't want to rule him out just yet.

2. Miles Jupp

Miles Jupp plays Basil in The Durrells

Miles Jupp (pictured here in The Durrells) can do an excellent "bumbling Englishman", and he's also great at the comedy roles. His head-shape kind of fits, but we're on the fence about whether the ears are a good match.

3. Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie (Getty)

Fans have been speculating on Twitter that the new DI is Hugh Laurie. We're not entirely convinced that he's the man in the photo... but come on! Wouldn't he make a splash in Saint Marie?

4. Douglas Henshall

Douglas Henshall plays DI Jimmy Perez in Shetland
BBC

Could Shetland star Douglas Henshall be our new detective? It would be great to get a Scottish actor in the role, and the ears and head-shape could be a match – though Henshall has more of a sandy-grey hair colour. He's also done more serious drama work, but we can imagine him thawing out in Saint Marie.

5. Ralph Little

Ralf Little
Indigo/Getty Images

Death in Paradise fans have been wondering whether Ralph Little might be the man in the image. The hair doesn't quite seem the same, and he's maybe a bit young, but who knows?

6. Rob Brydon

Rob Brydon (Getty, EH)
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The ears, the neck-shape, the head-shape – everything seems like a decent fit for Rob Brydon except for the colour of the hair, but perhaps they've used dye. We'd love to see Brydon's approach to crime in Saint Marie, and perhaps he'd even be able to persuade Steve Coogan to come and visit.

Authors

Eleanor Bley GriffithsDrama Editor, RadioTimes.com
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