Ralf Little, who played DI Neville Parker on Death in Paradise, has opened up about his decision to leave the show after four years. The 44-year-old actor departed the crime-comedy drama last month, with his character sailing off into the sunset with love interest DS Florence Cassell. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Little admitted he would have loved to stay for '20 more years', but felt it was the right time for his character's story to end.
Little explained that discussions with the BBC and production company Red Planet led to a mutual agreement that Neville's journey had reached a natural conclusion. 'It just sort of felt like his story deserved to be finished and he deserved a nice happy ending,' he said. Little's departure makes him the longest-serving detective on the show, having been at the heart of the series since season nine.
Other former stars have also shared their reasons for leaving. Ben Miller, who played original detective DI Richard Poole, quit in 2014 after learning his partner was pregnant. He told the Mirror: 'Two weeks after I arrived in the Caribbean, Jessica found out that she was pregnant. I knew what I had to do to get my wife back – quit Death in Paradise!' Miller later returned for the 10th anniversary special.
Kris Marshall, who played DI Humphrey Goodman from series three, left in 2017 due to the pressure on his young family. He had an agreement with his wife that he would only do the show for a few years. In 2020, he admitted on Good Morning Britain that his son was 'becoming too Caribbean', prompting the family to return to the UK.
