Ralf Little’s final episode for Death In Paradise aired on Sunday night, leaving viewers in tears as his exit storyline was finally revealed.
Following fears that his character DI Neville Parker was planning to leave the island of Saint Marie solo, the final scenes of series 13 saw him rushing to be with fan favorite DS Florence Cassell (Joséphine Jobert) after their storyline ‘will they, they will not’ was achieved. its emotional conclusion.
After intervention from his friends and colleagues, Marcel rushed to the port to tell Florence how he felt, leaving viewers in tears as he declared: “If the unknown is all you have to offer, then that’s good enough for me. All I want is for us to be together,’
In the final scene, the two sailed into the sunset together.
Ralf Little’s final episode for Death In Paradise aired on Sunday night and left viewers in tears as his exit storyline was finally revealed
Viewers decided it was the perfect ending for the two characters, with one tweeting: “Sobbing Neville and Florence sailing into the sun together was the perfect ending for them both.”
‘#DeathInParadise finally managed to get a couple together! It only lasted about 14 years!’ another agreed.
‘OMG. I can not believe it. They’re going on a trip together,” another shouted, but someone else wanted to know if it was just a short break for the couple: “It’s just a short break around the islands, right? They’ll be back, right? #DeathInParadise’
The BBC confirmed that Ralf has left the show after the finale aired, with Red Planet Pictures executive producer Tim Key paying tribute to the lead actor
“It’s an intimidating and risky prospect to take part as the lead in a successful show like Death in Paradise, but Ralf’s confidence and talent shone through from day one and the audience’s response to Neville and his journey was fantastic,” he said.
“I can’t thank Ralf enough for everything he has brought to the show, both on and off screen, and I wish him all the best for the future.”
Ralf 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.
Ralf, 44, previously described playing the lead role in the show as a “dream role”, highlighting the quality of the show and dismissing the idea that it was a “guilty pleasure”.
Viewers decided it was the perfect ending for the two characters, with one tweeting: ‘Me sobbing Neville and Florence sailing into the sun together was the perfect ending’
In 2021, he said, “I’m still trying to gently move the story away from that sentence. What can you be guilty of? It’s a high quality show, with a complex murder with new characters and a mystery to solve and they do it all in an hour.
‘And it looks beautiful – murder has never been so much fun. It’s an incredible achievement. I’m very proud of that.’
The series, set on the island of Saint Marie, was the BBC’s third biggest drama in Britain in 2023, just behind Happy Valley and Doctor Who.
The drama enjoyed enormous worldwide success, reaching more than 240 territories. The 100th episode will air this season.
Ever since it was announced that Ralf, 44, would be leaving the show after four years as Saint Marie’s lead detective, the rumor mill has swirled about who will replace him.
A string of stars have been tipped as next in line, including bookmakers’ favorite Simon Bird from The Inbetweeners.
The odds of Betfred taking on the role of Simon, 39, are 5/4, with a probability of 44 percent. Meanwhile, the second most likely star to get in on the action is Diane Morgan, who is best known for her iconic character Philomena Cunk. .