Death in Paradise's Ralf Little: Why it's the sad but right time for Neville to leave

Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning (Friday 5th April), Little opened up on the decision for his character to leave.

"This last series was always going to be my last series," he explained. "I had talks with the BBC, and with Red Planet, the production company and we all agreed that it just felt...

"If it was in my heart – like if it was just a heart decision – I'd have wanted to do it for 20 more years," he added. "But just for the show, and for my character, Neville, it just sort of felt like his story deserved to be sort of finished and his journey deserved to be completed and he deserved a nice happy ending; and so it just felt right."

Meanwhile, following Neville's exit, fans' thoughts are turning to who will replace DI Parker as Death in Paradise's next lead.

Former DI Richard Poole actor Ben Miller revealed his top picks to replace Neville in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, saying: "There are so many people who’d be brilliant. Toby Jones, that’s who I’d like to see."

Read more:

• Who will replace Ralf Little on Death in Paradise?
• Death in Paradise delivers Neville-Florence verdict – but it's inconclusive

Asked if he thought a woman could take over the job this time round, Miller said: "Yeah, that could definitely work. I could see that, 100 per cent. I think that'd be good too.

"If we’re playing fantasy detectives, Miranda Hart," he added.

Ralf Little himself previously said he "wouldn't rule out" a female lead for Death in Paradise.

Stay tuned because, of course, RadioTimes.com will update you as soon as there's any news on Neville's successor.

All 13 seasons of Death in Paradise are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.

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