Death in Paradise brings back fan favourite – and teases "new" team member
Who is Marlon's replacement?
Tahj Miles has officially departed Death in Paradise after his character, Officer Marlon Pryce, left Saint Marie for Jamaica in tonight's episode (Sunday 3rd March).
Marlon's sister Jocelyn had been offered a scholarship at a prestigious school in Kingston, and with their mother unable to leave due to her own "responsibilities", Marlon would be the one to accompany her, which meant giving up the job he had come to love – and excel at.
"I honestly think we wouldn't have cracked the case without him," said Neville of his now former colleague, who played a key role in solving the murder of Ray Saunders.
But thankfully, after some uncertainty about whether he'd be donning a police uniform in Jamaica, the commissioner managed to pull some strings – with some help from Tobi Bakare's JP Hooper, who appeared briefly towards the end of the episode.
Bakare appeared in 52 episodes of Death in Paradise before leaving unexpectedly in season 10.
His character, who was instrumental in helping Marlon to turn his back on a life of crime to become a police officer, accepted a shiny new job offer, head of the Police Training Programme – which continues to be a success, by all accounts, and also played a part in getting Marlon set up in Jamaica.
We also learned that JP is still with his partner, Rosie, and the couple are parents to twins.
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Speaking to RadioTimes.com back in 2021 about why he decided to leave the show, Bakare said: "I'm a believer, I'm a Christian, and something happened in season 7.
"I was in a church in Guadeloupe... [and] the preacher mentioned seven years in a message. As soon as he mentioned seven years, I don't know what happened, it just clicked. It was like a moment of realisation.
"I had three more years left. It was three more years until it would be seven, and it just hit me so hard."
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But Bakare's cameo wasn't the only exciting surprise in store.
With Marlon now gone, the team are a member down, which means a replacement is needed as soon as possible, and in the teaser for next week's episode, that's exactly what happens.
"Ready to welcome our new colleague," says the commissioner as they all gather on the jetty.
"Ready or not, here he comes," says Darlene as a boat comes into view.
Could it be a brand new addition to Death in Paradise? Or is the show about to welcome back another fan favourite?
Place your bets now.
Death in Paradise airs on Sundays on BBC One at 9pm. 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
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
