Death in Paradise delivers update on Selwyn Patterson exit with new twist

Detective Inspectors may come and go in Death In Paradise, but Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington) is a permanent fixture on the island of Saint Marie, or at least fans hope so.

However, recent developments in Selwyn’s story have led many to believe he may be leaving the series, as he was told last week by the Chief Commissioner in Jamaica that he may be laid off due to budget cuts. He asked for the mayor’s support, but was told nothing could be done, and matters came to a head when Selwyn got drunk and lashed out at Darlene (Ginny Holder), and then told his team of his departure.

“I have been keeping something from you which… on the advice of a trusted friend, I have decided to share with you all. The position of Saint Marie’s Police Commissioner is being phased out, and I am being phased out,” he said.

In tonight’s episode, more was revealed about what could happen next for Selwyn. As the team investigated the poisoning of a man at a distillery and DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) started to enjoy the new air conditioner and satellite dish in his home, Darlene worried about the Commissioner and Sebastian (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) came up with an idea. He suggested to Catherine that they should start a petition to get Selwyn reinstated. Catherine then forwarded Selwyn the online petition so he could see how much he meant to everyone on the island. It is possible that this could signal a reprieve.

Commissioner Patterson has been in the series since the very first episode of Death In Paradise, which was originally broadcast in October 2011. He is one of only three characters to have appeared in every series, along with Catherine and lizard Harry, and has seen Richard Poole (Ben Miller), Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall), Jack Mooney (Ardal O’Hanlon) and Neville Parker (Ralf Little) all take on the role of Saint Marie’s detective inspector during his time in office before the arrival of current DI Mervin Wilson.

While Selwyn has got the support of the island, some fans of Death In Paradise still believe he could be leaving, and have speculated another beloved character could be coming back as a replacement of sorts. There is the possibility that Danny John-Jules’ character, Officer Dwayne Myers, who was last seen in the Christmas episode, could be making his way back to Saint Marie.

Neither the BBC or Don Warrington has given any hint as to Selwyn’s future on the show. However, in a recent interview with Radio Times, Warrington did speak about how pleased he was to be working on a show that now has an entirely black key cast thanks to the introduction of Don Gilet as lead detective, which he saw as a sign of positive change.

“One is tentative about these things, because if we look at it in a broader political spectrum, the world is in a strange place at the moment. There’s a lot of reactionary stuff going on. I think this kind of thing acts as an antidote to that. Whatever the intentions were in this, it’s having a wholly positive reaction – and that can’t be celebrated enough,” he said.