Ralf Little says his mum is convinced his ‘career is over’ since leaving Death in Paradise

British star left BBC drama in 2024 after four years

Ralf Little has revealed that his mum is convinced his acting career is over now he’s left Death in Paradise.

Little, 45, played Detective Inspector Neville Parker on the BBC show for just over four years, from 2020 until his surprise departure in 2024.

Since he quit the show, Little’s mum has been lining up a new profession for her son as she’s convinced the roles will dry up.

“My mum’s done this my whole career – she’s always worried about me,” the actor told the i in a new interview.

“She went, ‘So, I’ve been thinking, now that your career’s over you could go back to medical school this September and qualify in five years and the good news is you could still work till you’re 75.’”

Death in Paradise, which is set in the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie, focuses on a DI from the UK and his team of local police as they solve murders that occur on the island.

Little, who also starred in sitcoms The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, decided to leave the show as it felt like the right time to move on.

“This last series was always going to be my last series,” he told BBC Breakfast. “I had talks with the BBC, and with Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed that it just felt... if it was in my heart, like if it was just a heart decision, I’d have wanted to do it for 20 more years.”

He continued: “For my character Neville, it just sort of felt like his story... it deserved to be finished and his journey... deserved to be completed and he deserved a nice happy ending and so it just felt right.”

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The actor was the longest-serving DI on the series to date. He was replaced by former EastEnders star Don Gilet.

Ralf Little left BBC series ‘Death in Paradise’ in 2024 (BBC)

Little took over the show’s lead part from Father Ted star Ardal O’Hanlon in 2020.

Other actors who have played the main DI role include My Family star Kris Marshall, whose character Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman features in the spin-off Beyond Paradise, and Bridgerton star Ben Miller.

The show, which airs on Sunday nights on BBC One, began in 2011.