Death in Paradise returns: 'To see a Black lead in the BBC's most popular show is a wonderful thing'

But this isn’t the first time the Dons have worked together. They both appeared in a 2017 BBC4 radio drama, Deacon – although Warrington doesn’t recall their encounter, which is a source of amusement for Gilet. But, crucially, Warrington does remember Gilet’s Death in Paradise audition, which impressed him greatly.

“He came in and our eyes lit up,” he says in the deep, rich voice that was the soundtrack of my childhood, thanks to my dad’s love of 70s sitcom Rising Damp, where he played Leonard Rossiter’s charismatic lodger Philip Smith. “Don G has a vibration to him, which I thought suited the role very well. I was very keen on him getting the job because I thought we could work well together.” The respect is clearly mutual, and “new boy” Gilet is noticeably relaxed around his urbane co-star.

Joining a longstanding show like Death in Paradise can be daunting for many reasons, not least because the cast and crew already know each other so well. The production team threw a barbecue in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, where the show is filmed, to bring everyone together again and to welcome their latest recruit. Though the Walsall-born actor admits he didn’t stay long, being initially shy, he praises the team for the love they showed him. “They welcomed me with open arms, and it’s not changed. There’s still this camaraderie that I’m so thankful and blessed for. I’m now part of the family,” he says.

Playing Saint Marie’s long-serving Commissioner Patterson since the show first aired in 2011, the 73-year-old Warrington has already seen four lead detectives come and go, with each actor and character bringing something new to the role and set dynamic. “Richard Poole [played by Ben Miller] brought with him a complete loathing of the place and I thought that was wonderful – that was the character. Humphrey Goodman [played by Kris Marshall] was a ball of energy, bringing with him an excitement about being in this place and loving it. Jack Mooney [Ardal O'Hanlon] brought a sort of curiosity about the place, and Neville Parker [Ralf Little] had a sort of ‘bumblingness’ to him, as though his shoes were too big and his clothes didn’t quite fit.

“I think it’s very interesting with Don, because it’s two-fold with him. There is – although Mervin’s not aware of it – a kind of genetic memory. It’s the thing where you return to something that is somewhere inside of you. You may not even recognise it consciously, but subconsciously, there is a force at work there.”

Warrington is, of course, referring to the Christmas special’s reveal that Mervin came to Saint Marie to track down his biological mother, only to discover she had passed away a few months earlier. It was a crushing blow that saw Mervin extend his stay on the island to embark on a “personal crusade”.

“He comes from London, a thriving, bustling metropolis and the antithesis of Saint Marie,” Gilet says. “He tries to bring London to Saint Marie, and it’s not going to work. Of course, he’s going to lock horns with everybody, and they say he’s rude. I say he’s brusque. He wants things to be done promptly, and he expects them to be done at a certain speed.”

This is Gilet’s first lead role after stints in EastEnders and Holby City and his casting, as the first black lead detective in the show’s history, has certainly silenced the critics who accused the show of perpetuating the “white saviour” trope. Talking to Radio Times at Christmas, Gilet said, “There can be superficial ways one can be described and defined,” adding, “If they were looking for the best actor to take on the mantle… then I’ll take it. The roles I go for, they’re not black parts.”

But with a career spanning five decades, is it significant to Trinidad-born Warrington, who was raised in Newcastle from the age of seven? “Of course,” he says measuredly. “In a way, I can’t emphasise it enough, and in another way, I can’t say more than that. I think to see a black lead in the most popular show on the BBC is a wonderful thing.”

It’s notable, too, that Death in Paradise now has an entirely black key cast, which, even though it shouldn’t, feels like a big deal, a positive sign of change. Does Warrington agree? “Well, one hopes so. One is tentative about these things, because if we look at it in a broader political spectrum, the world is in a strange place at the moment. There’s a lot of reactionary stuff going on. I think this kind of thing acts as an antidote to that. Whatever the intentions were in this, it’s having a wholly positive reaction – and that can’t be celebrated enough.”

Gilet has been vocal about his desire to do a good job and impress his Death in Paradise bosses, and the Christmas viewing figures suggest he has, yet he seems reluctant to take comfort in them. “I don’t want to sound like I’m being clichéd or precious, but nobody does the job for ratings. I want to know that the execs and my bosses like what I was doing. I like to know that my family and friends enjoyed what they saw, especially ones that were fans,” he says.

Ratings can fuel an actor’s ego, but ultimately they are a measure of success that executives care about – and a clear indication that they made the right decision casting him. Warrington agrees. “I think it’s important that it did so well – for political reasons, I think that we have to be aware of that, and that was good news,” he adds. “It’s interesting to see how the world has reacted. It’s proof positive of something.”

Following such a warm welcome from his fellow cast members and the viewing public – and with the two Dons getting on so well – it seems unthinkable that Death in Paradise would do anything to jeopardise the good ship DiP, but in the first episode of the new season modern work woes engulf the Honoré police station as the team face cutbacks.

I tentatively ask how Don senior feels about Selwyn’s job potentially being at risk.

“It’s very distressing,” he says. “His life is being turned upside down, but he has to deal with the reality, it’s beyond his control.” As a fan of the show, I can’t imagine Saint Marie without the commanding presence of the Commissioner. “Well, who knows? Anything can happen in this life,” he sagely notes.

Filming this season, Gilet didn’t want friends and family to visit him in Guadeloupe as he wanted to concentrate on learning lines and delivering the goods, but now he has settled into the role, could they be in line for a trip to paradise when filming starts again? “Let’s just see if I’m ready for anyone to be in the villa they give me, or if I want to share my pool!” he quips. “If anyone’s going to turn up, they’re going to turn up with their own agenda, to have their own holiday and not involve me. I’m sure it’ll happen, but I don’t want to give anybody any ideas in this interview!”

How about Warrington – is he excited about filming the next season? “Well, I can’t answer that,” he retorts, a stark reminder that the Commissioner and our favourite Honoré officer’s fate hangs in the balance. And with that, the elder statesman and his young charge take their leave.

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Death in Paradise will return to BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on Friday 31st January 2025.

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