Death in Paradise’s Don Gilet says ‘that’s when I’ll leave’ as he addresses show future
Don Gilet, who returns to Death in Paradise for his second series of Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, has made an admission about his future on the BBC show
Don Gilet has opened up on his Death in Paradise future(Image: BBC)
Don Gilet, star of Death in Paradise, has dropped hints about when he might be ready to bid farewell to the popular BBC series. Now in his second series as Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, Don, 59, stepped into the role as the show’s primary detective following Ralf Little’s exit.
Don had previously made a brief appearance in the successful detective series a decade earlier, but returned as the lead during the Christmas special in 2024. The series centres around his character DI Wilson, who is brought in from London to the fictional island of Saint Marie to assist with crime-solving.
The show was conceived by Robert Thoroughgood and premiered on the BBC in 2011, featuring Ben Miller as the lead detective. Since then, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon have taken the reins, with The Royle Family star Ralf taking on the main role from 2020 to 2024.
During an appearance on the TFI Friday podcast with Chris Evans, Don humorously described Death in Paradise as the “sweatiest job” of his career. Although set on a fictional island, the series is filmed in Guadeloupe, where temperatures can average around 32c during the hotter months.
Don commented: “It is hot. I haven’t been to many places and filmed in terms of my professional life. It is very hot. From getting up, which could be 5 o’clock, it’s hot here and it’s going to get hotter. Everyone just tells me the same thing and I’ll pass it on, it is hot.”
Don has returned for his second series of Death in Paradise(Image: BBC)
He revealed that Kris, 52, got through a “bunch of shirts” during filming due to the sweltering conditions. He added: “I did an episode many moons ago, Kris Marshall was the detective and he was going through a bunch of shirts.
“Linen shirts because he would sweat, take it off, put it through a hairdryer, and it’s the same for me.”
Chris, 44, questioned Don about his plans for the show moving forward. He enquired: “Your second series, are you good to go for a couple more?” The star responded: “We’ll have to wait and see. When the murders run out, then that’s when I’ll leave.”
Death in Paradise series 15 returns to BBC One at 9pm this evening (January 30). DI Wilson will carry on investigating after a man plunged from the roof of a government building. Though the death initially appeared non-suspicious, Mervin has his suspicions about foul play.
Don Gilet returns as DI Mervin Wilson for Death in Paradise series 15(Image: BBC)
Beyond his role on Death in Paradise, Don recently opened up about his relationship with Happy Valley actress Siobhan Finneran, 59.
The pair previously collaborated on ITV crime drama The Loch, and Siobhan has now joined the stellar guest cast of Death in Paradise.
During a recent appearance on ITV’s This Morning, presenter Alison Hammond grilled Don about working alongside his partner.
She remarked: “Your girlfriend’s gonna be in this isn’t she?” Before joking: “I like what you did there when you got her on the holiday.”
Don wittily responded: “I thought they edited her out.”
Don met Siobhan on set(Image: Getty Images)
He continued: “I said to her, I’ve got a surprise for you and she thought I was going to propose. She loved doing it and it was great working with her. She has come a long way.
“Have you not seen the stillness she created in front of the camera since being with me, there is something, you can’t bottle it There’s something about the way she acts now. There’s a new confidence to her and she gets more work now.”
The Protection star has previously dismissed the idea of them being a “power couple”, admitting they can be “hopeless” when trying to get organised, saying: “I’ve not heard that one before. We are both off the telly. Other than that we’re pretty normal. You wouldn’t think we were a power couple this morning, both running around trying to get out of the house on time. Hopeless.”
