Death in Paradise fans have revealed who they want to see take on the role of lead detective following the surprise departure of Ralf Little.
The actor, 44, left the show at the end of series 13, when his character DI Neville Parker said goodbye to the island of Saint Marie.
After the finale aired last month, Ralf took to Instagram to share: ‘The secret is out! My time on Saint Marie has come to an end. But what an ending!’
He was the longest-lasting leading man, following in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon who all played the iconic role, with producers now looking for his replacement.
A 14th season has already been commissioned and a Christmas special is planned, with filming set to take place in the coming months.
Death in Paradise fans have revealed who they want to see take on the role of lead detective following Ralf Little’s surprise departure
He was the longest-lasting leading man, following in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon who all starred in the iconic role, with producers now looking for his replacement.
And ever since it was announced that Roy had left after four years, the rumor mill has been swirling about who will replace him.
Speaking about who could step into his shoes, Ralf admitted: ‘I honestly have no idea and they didn’t tell me, maybe they had no idea yet.
“But I like the rest of you to just sit there and ask, ‘Who’s next?’ Who knows? No idea. But we’ll see what happens.’
The bookmakers have so far set their odds on six frontrunners, consisting of both men and women from different backgrounds.
MailOnline gave its readers the chance to vote on who they wanted to take over the job from those six, with more than a third backing Simon Bird, with 36 percent of the vote.
The 39-year-old actor is also the bookmakers’ favorite to take on the role, with Betfred’s odds of 5/4 giving him a 44 percent chance of being named.
Simon made his breakthrough in the multi-award winning comedy series The Inbetweeners and was nominated for a BAFTA for playing the nerdy but affable Will McKenzie.
He went on to star in another successful comedy series, playing Adam Goodman in Friday Night Dinner.
MailOnline gave its readers the chance to vote on who they wanted to take the job from those six, with more than a third behind Simon Bird, with 36 percent of the vote (pictured last year)
He has also worked behind the camera, directing last year’s A24 series Such Brave Girls for the BBC, described by The Guardian as ‘without doubt the funniest British comedy of the year’.
Close behind Simon as the second most popular choice for Death in Paradise is Mathew Horne, who received 27 percent of the vote.
Like Simon, the 45-year-old actor is known for starring in a much-loved comedy series, playing Gavin in the double BAFTA-winning series Gavin & Stacey.
At odds of 5/1, Mathew also moved into second place in the betting, with a 16.7 percent chance of being named.
He started his career as part of the comedy duo Mat and MacKinnon and after being spotted by Catherine Tate at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he landed a role in her sketch show as Jamie, Nan’s grandson.
Mathew continued to collaborate with Gavin & Stacey co-creator James Corden on Horne & Corden and 2009’s Lesbian Vampire Killers.
He starred in the Bad Education Movie with Jack Whitehall and Catherine Tate’s The Nan Movie in 2020, based on the popular character from her BBC Two sketch show.
Next in line to take the detective job is Diane Morgan, with 13 percent of voters choosing her as the first female lead.
Close behind Simon as the second most popular choice for Death in Paradise is Mathew Horne, who received 27 percent of the vote (pictured in 2018)
The next in line for the detective job is Diane Morgan, with 13 percent of voters choosing her as the first female lead (pictured in 2022)
At odds of 7/1, bookmakers also gave the comedian, 48, a 12.5 percent chance of being named for the role.
Diane is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Philomena Cunk, a dim-witted interviewer and commentator, who first appeared in a regular segment on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe.
She has since revived the character in a series of mockumentary shows.
Diane also built a fan base playing Kath in Ricky Gervais’ dark comedy series After Life, and also played Liz in the BBC Two sitcom Motherland.
Another popular actress who could replace Ralf is Jodie Whittaker, who received nine percent of the vote, alongside odds of 8/1 and a probability of 11.1 percent.
It wouldn’t be the first time the actress, 41, has paved the way for a female lead in a predominantly male-driven show, as she played the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who – the first woman to play the title role.
Jodie scplayed her first major role in the 2006 feature debut Venus, for which she received nominations for the British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award.
Her performance in the 2011 cult science fiction film also saw her praised by critics and appeared in the Black Mirror episode The Whole History of You the same year.
Another popular actress who could replace Ralf is Jodie Whittaker, who received nine percent of the vote, alongside odds of 8/1 and a probability of 11.1 percent (pictured in November)
Hot on Jodie’s heels is Jaye Griffiths, who received eight percent of the vote and has the advantage of already being familiar with the Death In Paradise set, having starred in last year’s series as DI Karen Flitcroft (pictured in 2017)
In 2013, she became a household name when she starred in the British crime drama Broadchurch as Beth Latimer, mother of murder victim Danny.
And Jodie will next be seen in Netflix’s Toxic Town, an upcoming British drama series that follows the story of three mothers involved in the Corby toxic waste case.
Hot on Jodie’s heels is Jaye Griffiths, who received eight percent of the vote and has the advantage of already being familiar with the Death In Paradise set, having starred as Inspector Karen Flitcroft in last year’s series.
At 60, Jaye is the oldest contender tipped for the role and has odds of 10/1 and a 9.1 percent probability.
She first found fame playing Ros Henderson in the BBC series Bugs, which ran for four series.
Jaye starred as Sally Johnson in The Bill from 1993 to 1995 before making a number of guest appearances in 2003.
She also played counselor Elle Gardner in Casualty from 2016 to 2019, and can often be found in police or hospital dramas, such as Doctors, Always and Everyone, Instinct and Silent Witness.
Although Romesh Ranganathan was more of a left-field choice for the role, he still managed to get seven percent of the vote to replace Ralf.
Although Romesh Ranganathan was more of a left-field choice for the role, he still managed to get seven percent of the vote to replace Ralf (pictured in December)
The comedian, 45, did slightly better with the bookmakers with odds of 8/1 and a probability of 11.1 percent.
Romesh has become one of the BBC’s biggest stars in recent years after rising to fame with appearances on comedy panel shows.
In 2018, he launched his own travel series, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, later winning a TV BAFTA for the show and teaming up with fellow comedian Rob Beckett for Rob & Romesh Vs.
Since 2021, he has also hosted the revival of The Weakest Link, replacing Anne Robinson, and the following year he co-wrote and starred in the comedy drama series Avoiding, which will air its second season later this year.