Death in Paradise fans have every reason to feel nervous right now, after DI Neville Parker announced he was leaving Saint Marie – but is Ralf Little quitting the show?
In episode 6 of series 13, fan favourite Neville dropped the mother of all bombshells. He revealed he planned to depart the island to go travelling – but this came just seconds before viewers learnt something that might just change his mind… (Internal squeal).
So is Ralf Little leaving Death in Paradise? Has the actor confirmed his exit, and will he be back? Here’s everything you need to know following the epic episode on Sunday (March 10, 2024).
***Warning: spoilers from Death in Paradise series 13 episode 6 ahead***
Is DI Neville Parker leaving Saint Marie?
At the end of Death in Paradise series 13 episode 6, allergy-prone DI Neville Parker announced he planned to leave Saint Marie to go travelling, and hopefully find love on his adventures.
Talking to Sergeant Naomi Thomas (played by Shantol Jackson) at the end of a hard day cracking cases, Neville said: “Well, I’ve finally figured out what I’d like to put at the top of my bucket list. Finding love again.”
After he and his ex-girlfriend Zoe realised they no longer had chemistry after sharing a kiss, Neville realised he was no closer to finding love.
He continued: “If there’s one thing this job teaches you it’s that life is too short. It’s not just the cases. It’s what happened with the Commissioner a few weeks ago. So I need to be more like Zoe. Really take a risk. Go for it, before it’s too late.
“This is a small island. It’s full of ghosts for me – Florence, Sophie/Rebecca. What are the chances of me finding love again here? So if I do want to find The One, and I really do, I’m going to have to put myself out there literally. So I’m going travelling. I’m leaving Saint Marie.”
Of course, just moments after Neville’s announcement, Florence appeared on screen during a phone call with Commissioner Selwyn. He said: “So it’s true. You can come out of witness protection.”
In turn, Florence (Josephine Jobert) replied: “It sure is, sir. Miss me?”
Will Florence coming back change Neville’s plans to leave? Viewers know that Neville has held a flame for Florence since they first met in 2021. However, their relationship has been a friendship – until now.
Is Ralf Little leaving Death in Paradise? Will Neville and Florence reunite?
A sneak preview of the upcoming episode 7 then teased Neville learning about Florence’s return. We then see her helping with their latest investigation via video conferencing. Neville then sends Florence a text saying: “Good to see you today. We’ve missed you.” To which she replied: “Good to see you too.”
Talking to Officer Darlene later, Florence says: “I missed him more than I thought I would.” In turn, Darlene tells her: “You’ve got to know. The Inspector is leaving Saint Marie.”
She then pledges to “make it back” before he leaves. And we see a plane landing or taking off… The writers are really teasing us this series!
What’s the history between Florence and Neville?
Neville developed feelings for Florence while working with her, and is clearly still in love with her. But did she ever have feelings for him?
She once revealed that she’d prefer to stay friends. During the 2021 Christmas episode, Neville received a video call Florence from France, and he asked her out on a date.
But Neville’s screen froze and the pair couldn’t continue chatting. At the end of the festive episode, Florence admitted to Catherine (Elizabeth Bourgine) that she had heard everything but couldn’t decide what to do.
Not long into the opening instalment of the new series, Florence addressed the incident. Catherine asked her: “Has there been any more mention of… you know what?”
Florence replied: “No, not since the call at Christmas. He’s said nothing. He still doesn’t know I heard him.”
When Catherine inquired how Florence felt about him, she replied: “He’s such a good friend that I think that’s how I’d like to keep things between us.
Their relationship is one of the biggest will-they-won’t-theys on TV since Mulder and Scully in The X Files. But could this be their year?
Is Ralf Little leaving Death in Paradise?
Ralf Little has not confirmed he is leaving Death in Paradise. The actor is the longest surviving DI on Saint Marie so far, with five series under his belt.
Talking about his future on the show in February 2024, Ralf said he had no plans to leave the series, but admitted it’s not always up to him.
He said: “I don’t know [about series 14]. I have no idea, I’m not gonna swerve answering the question. I don’t know which direction they’re gonna go in. I have honestly no idea and they haven’t told me.
“Maybe they had no idea yet. I, like the rest of you, are going to be just sitting and asking, ‘Who’s next?’ Who knows?’ No idea. But we’ll see what happens.”
Will there be a series 14 of Death in Paradise?
BBC bosses have confirmed a series 14 has been confirmed for 2025.
Back in February 2023, the BBC announced that the popular detective series would return for seasons 13 and 14, as well as two feature-length Christmas special episodes in 2023 and 2024.
Executive Producer Tim Key said at the time: “The response to series 12 has been incredible, so we’re delighted that we’ll be heading back to Guadeloupe for at least two more series.
“We’ve got an amazing and joyful Christmas special in store, and then series 13 begins with our 100th episode, so we’ve got plenty of surprises ready to celebrate that milestone.”
He added: “We’ve got huge plans for the future and can’t wait to get going again.”
Series 14 is expected to air in January or February 2025 after the 2024 Christmas Day special.
Is Ralf Little leaving Death in Paradise? Who could replace him?
Of course, it’s not yet known if Ralf Little is leaving Death in Paradise.
However, in early 2023, betting company Ladbrooks revealed the front-runners to replace Ralf. At that time, The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird was the favourite to arrive in Saint Marie as a new detective with odds of 5/1.
Diane Morgan was close behind at 6/1, with Matthew Horne (8/1), Romesh Ranganathan (9/1), and Jodie Whittaker (10/1) also in the running.
Of course, there’s a strong possibility that Florence Cassell returns as the lead detective!
Read more: BBC announces new Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise, set in Australia
Death in Paradise continues on BBC One at 9pm on Sundays.
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