As “Death In Paradise” gears up for its highly-anticipated thirteenth season, lead actor Ralf Little has shed light on the fate of his character, DI Neville Parker, just days before the season’s premiere.

Ralf Little, who portrays DI Neville Parker, is the show’s fourth lead detective, following in the footsteps of DI Richard Poole (played by Ben Miller), DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall), and DI Jack Mooney (Ardal O’Hanlon). Speculation regarding another detective replacement has been circulating, prompting Ralf, aged 43, to address the uncertainty surrounding his character’s future. He candidly admitted that he has “no idea” about what lies ahead for DI Neville Parker.

Fans of “Death In Paradise” can rejoice, as the show is set to return at the beginning of February, with Ralf Little once again at the helm. Joining him in the sun-soaked paradise are Don Warrington as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, Shantol Jackson as DS Naomi Thomas, Tahj Miles as Officer Marlon Pryce, Ginny Holder as Trainee Officer Darlene Curtis, and Élizabeth Bourgine as Catherine Bordey. Notable guest stars such as Sean Maguire, Leon Herbert, Cathy Tyson, and Mensah Bediako are also expected to make appearances in the upcoming season.

After the conclusion of season 12 in February 2023, fans eagerly awaited news of the show’s return. Their patience was rewarded when the BBC confirmed in the summer of the same year that “Death In Paradise” had been renewed for an additional two seasons, with filming for season 13 commencing shortly thereafter.

In the midst of filming, Ralf took to Instagram to address questions about Neville’s future. Regarding rumours of his possible departure, Ralf clarified that he had no intentions of leaving the series but acknowledged that such decisions are not always within his control. When it came to speculating about a potential replacement, he candidly admitted, “I don’t know. I have no idea, I’m not going to dodge the question. I don’t know. I don’t know which direction they’re going to go in. I have honestly no idea, and they haven’t told me. Maybe they had no idea yet.”

Ralf emphasised that he is just as much in the dark as viewers regarding the show’s future, saying, “I, like the rest of you, am going to be sitting and asking, ‘Who’s next?’ Who knows? No idea. But we’ll see what happens.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the detective lineup, Ralf offered some tantalising teasers about the upcoming season. He revealed that the series would strive to maintain the tone set at the end of the previous season and promised more character-driven challenges and emotional depth. Reflecting on Neville’s framed arrest and imprisonment in the previous season, Ralf noted, “We took a bit of a leap with that last year, and it worked out really well, and people seemed to really enjoy it, and we felt that we made a really good show, so there’s going to be more of that this year and more challenges for the characters.”

“Death In Paradise” is set to make its return to screens on Sunday, February 4, with an explosive episode marking the show’s 100th instalment. Teasing the drama to come, the official “Death In Paradise” Instagram account revealed, “Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (played by Don Warrington) is left fighting for his life after he’s dramatically shot by a mysterious assassin in the show’s dramatic landmark 100th episode.”