DEATH in Paradise’s Ralf Little has revealed he was issued a bleak warning by family to ‘stay away’ amid fears about his time on the BBC set.
The 40-year-old actor plays DI Neville Parker in the hit BBC drama, which returns for series 10 on Thursday.
Ralf Little has revealed how his family told him to ‘stay away’ after filming Death in Paradise in the Caribbean Credit: BBC
The show is filmed on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, and Ralf has spent the last few months on location.
During that time, the UK has gone from higher Tier restrictions to another national lockdown due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, making it near impossible for Ralf to fly home at any point to see them.
Appearing on Tuesday’s edition of The One Show, Ralf explained: “I’ve not seen my mother for a long time, it would be nice to see her and get in touch.
“She just moved house before I went to the Caribbean. I haven’t seen her since then really.
Ralf plays DI Neville Parker and spends months on the island of Guadeloupe filming Credit: BBC
On Tuesday’s The One Show Ralf said he hadn’t seen his mum for ages as she had told him not to come back to the UK due to the coronavirus pandemic Credit: BBC
“But I suggested that to her, I said, ‘Should I try and get back?’ My mum being my mum, she was like, ‘No I’m at risk, I don’t want to see you – stay out there.’”
While it is difficult to be away from his loved ones for so long, Ralf added it was “fair enough” that his mother wanted to be vigilant and not put herself or anyone else at risk.
Ralf is engaged to US playwright Lindsey Ferrentino, and he told The Guardian how splitting his time between the UK and the US had helped him adjust to filming away from home for months on end for Death in Paradise.
He said: “Of the four actors who’ve played the lead detective – Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon came before me – my home situation is easiest. I don’t have kids or responsibilities.
Ralf splits his time between the UK and the US, where his fiancee lives Credit: BBC
“And because of my other half, I was splitting my time between the UK and US anyway. It suits my lifestyle.”
He added of the show: “It’s the first time I’ve played a legit leading man. I could pretend I was worried about taking on the responsibility, but that would be a lie. I was delighted.”
Death in Paradise series 10 begins on Thursday, January 7 at 9pm on BBC One.
