Death in Paradise's Don Gilet: 'I hope I'm not the one that messes it up'

Speaking with RadioTimes.com and other press, Gilet said: "I always say to any guest, and certainly to the principals, that our job individually is to make the other person look good. And if everybody's on that page, then everybody shines simultaneously throughout the show. Whatever you're saying, you’ve got the backing of your teammates around you.

"And yes, it was nerve-wracking, because I've watched this just for entertainment, but you're kind of watching from a study perspective, going, 'I'm about to go into that show.'

"And it's a very surreal feeling, having watched it on the screen, having seen all these people, they’re suddenly in the same room as you having a read-through. It's like, 'This is weird.'

"Next thing you know, you're on a set that you've seen on telly. You feel like a competition winner in many respects.

"But absolutely, there was this feeling of excitement, that 'come along and join us' from the team, even though that's the opposite of what happens with Mervin and the team, from a cast point of view they just were so welcoming.

"Any nerves were kind of put to bed when I saw you genuinely want me here. And I just go, 'I hope I'm not the one that messes it up,' because such a great job has been done over the 14 seasons with other detectives, it’s now my turn to step up and hopefully be as brilliant as the previous detectives."

Meanwhile, Naomi Thomas star Shantol Jackson said of her experience working with Gilet: "I've only worked with one other inspector [Ralf Little's Neville Parker].

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"But I just remember my first time, I came in series 11, and one of the things that was said to me initially was that there's a chemistry that's already formed, and I have to fit into this already established team and synergy.

"And so I was thinking about that for Don, or whoever it would have been coming in, and my biggest thing is I need to ensure that this person feels comfortable and confident.

"I also want to feel comfortable and confident, but I know that I am welcoming someone in a place, in an environment that I'm already used to.

"And so because it's a team, and I'm thinking this is a team, I'm thinking I need to help to make this person feel comfortable so that they can do their best.

"So the audition process, it took some time because Red Planet wanted to find the right person [for Mervin] and the right person to fit in. And they absolutely did. And when Don came, he quickly gelled with the cast.

"Of course, there's the initial anxiety and the initial nerves on all parts, because this is someone new that's coming to our home. And also for him, he's meeting these people and he has to live with us for a long time.

"So the initial nerves [were there], of course, but that went very quickly, very, very quickly. Just working with him on set, I was able to get comfortable because I was able to trust that this person knows what he's doing. He'll help me to look good."

Despite Mervin looking as though he was set to leave Saint Marie at the end of the special, we know Gilet will in fact be back for next year's season, with Jackson and Darlene Curtis star Ginny Holder also expected to return.

Death in Paradise will return in 2025. This year's Death in Paradise Christmas special, and all previous seasons, are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.

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