Death in Paradise fans decide who they want to replace Neville
What do you think of this dream choice?
Death in Paradise fans have voiced their opinion on who they want to see replace Ralf Little as the lead on the detective drama – and its an actor in the midst of a phenomenal year.
RadioTimes.com ran a series of polls on social media this week, challenging viewers to whittle down a compelling shortlist of choices that included Mandy's Diane Morgan, The Lazarus Project's Anjli Mohindra and The Inbetweeners' Simon Bird.
The selection of 16 names was compiled by the Death in Paradise experts on our team, but one stormed ahead as the clear winner of the competition: Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Toby Jones.
He is one of the UK's most recognisable actors, known for blockbuster roles in The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as acclaimed British television like Detectorists, Doctor Who and Sherlock.
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Jones has previously appeared in a long list of celebrated films including Finding Neverland, Frost/Nixon and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but the titular Mr Alan Bates in ITV's Post Office drama may well be remembered as one of his greatest roles.
The four-part miniseries that aired on ITV earlier this year was not only a moving piece of work, but also played a huge role in bringing the plight of wrongly accused subpostmasters to the top of the news agenda.
It's not known whether Jones would consider a stint on Saint Marie as his next project, but with plenty of experience in both dramatic and comedic roles, we're confident he has the acting chops to do a superb job.
Last month, former Death in Paradise star Ben Miller named Jones as one of his own dream choices to lead the BBC drama, with comedy legend and Call the Midwife alum Miranda Hart being an alternative on his wish list.
The final of our fan vote came down to Jones and his Mr Bates vs The Post Office co-star Will Mellor, who earned high praise at the start of the year for his sensitive portrayal of real-life Post Office victim and campaigner Lee Castleton.
Death in Paradise is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.