Death in Paradise will be returning in January with a brand new outing of the hit crime-solving comedy set on the fictional island of Saint Marie. The ninth season will also see another change in the lead role as DI Jack Mooney (played by Ardal O’Hanlon) is replaced by DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little). Ahead of its return, here is a look back at some of the past detectives on the show.
The ninth season of Death in Paradise will be starting in January 2020 as the major characters attempt to solve more bizarre crimes.
Ahead of airing, the BBC has announced the lead detective will be replaced once again in the upcoming series.
The much-loved Jack Mooney will be leaving for a new adventure as his replacement Neville Parker arrives from Manchester.
This follows the same pattern as many of the previous seasons, which have seen both Kris Marshall and Ben Miller in the lead role.
READ MORE: Death in Paradise: Is it on Netflix? How to stream all the seasons
Which detective lasted the longest on Death in Paradise?
The longest-serving detective on the show was Kris Marshall who played Humphrey Goodman.
He appeared in 30 episodes during his time on the show from season three until season six, episode six.
He first took over from Ben Miller’s Richard Poole in season three, episode one when he was brought to the island to discover who was behind the late detective’s murder.
Goodman was the major DI in the show through a number of big cases and is well remembered for his dynamic with Camille Bordey (Sara Martins).
He has appeared in 20 episodes so far and as the seasons only feature eight episodes in total, Mooney will not take over the role of the longest-running detective from Goodman.
The DI who served the least time on the island was Miller’s Poole, only appearing in a total of 17 episodes
Viewers will remember how he starred as the lead detective in the first two seasons of Death in Paradise before he was killed at the beginning of the third outing.
He was stabbed in the heart with an ice pick during a reunion with his friends from university.
The latest arrival for the lead role is Ralf Little as DI Neville Parker who will be joining in season nine.
How long he will last in the series remains to be seen but with series 10 already in the works, he could be joining for the long haul.
Speaking about joining the show, he said: “It took less than 0.005 seconds to say yes to playing the new DI. How could I not?
“Ardal has been wonderful in the last few series and to follow in his footsteps in a place as idyllic as Guadeloupe was a great honour and a dream come true.
“It is a joy to play Neville and I can’t wait for viewers to see him in Paradise this series.”
Death in Paradise season 9 airs in January 2020
