Death in Paradise star says ‘it came as a shock’ as they address ‘outcry’
A star of the hit BBC drama has addressed the massive fan reaction to rumours of them leaving Death in Paradise.
Death in Paradise’s Don Warrington has admitted he was surprised by the reaction following rumours that his character would be leaving the BBC drama.
The actor has played Commissioner Selwyn Patterson since the first series of the TV favourite, which is set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie and follows Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson ( Don Gilet) as he investigates local crimes with his team. However, there were recently whisperings of the Commissioner departing, which left fans devastated.
Don has now told Radio Times how taken aback he was, confessing: “Well, it came as a shock to me, I have to say.
“I thought it would just pass by under the radar and we’d carry on. But, apparently, there has been an outcry. It’s flattering and I would be dishonest if I said it wasn’t.
“But it came as a surprise to realise how deeply the characters had got into the consciousness of the public.”
Luckily for fans of the long-running show, the Commissioner’s permanent return appears to have been confirmed.
He had decided to leave Saint Marie at the end of series 14 after he lost his job. He ended up being offered his role back but decided to leave the island to go and visit his daughter in the UK.
However, on New Year’s Eve a post on the show’s Instagram account teased his return ahead of the new series, which starts this month.
In the clip from Death in Paradise spin-off Beyond Paradise, the Commissioner was seen making a call to ask whether his old job was still available.
“Chief Commissioner, it is Selwyn Patterson,” he said. “Apologies for calling you during the holidays. But I wanted to know if you have found my replacement as yet?”
Don Gilet stars in the hit show (Image: BBC)
“I see…” he replied after listening to the person on the other end of the phone.
“I have been doing some thinking, and I wondered if there was any chance of my returning to the role if it’s still vacant?”
The clip was captioned: “So that’s something to look forward to in the new year!”
