Death in Paradise star Ralf Little has discussed the reaction he received from fans following his exit from the BBC series. Speaking in his Two Pints podcast with Will Mellor, Ralf said when his character Neville Parker confirmed he was leaving Saint Marie, some fans were thrilled that he was going to be replaced as the lead detective.
In heart-wrenching scenes, Neville departed on a boat with his love interest Florence Cassell (portrayed by Josephine Jobert). Although Ralf has made it clear he won't return to the role, speculation is rife among fans about who might fill Neville's shoes on the sun-soaked island.
Ralf's admission came as the comedy duo discussed online backlash, he said: "In the last episode of Death in Paradise my character said he was going to leave and there is one episode left, right? There are like 1,000 comments going, 'Please don't leave' but like four or five going, 'I always thought Ralf was the worst detective and I am so glad he's leaving'.
"I just feel like going, 'You know I can see this, right?' the actor continued as Will chipped in: "They want you to react."
Ralf went on: "They have gone on to my Instagram to talk about me in the third person, and you just go, 'f*** off'."
Will Mellor records podcast with Ralf Little
Fans have also been coming up with their own theories about who they'd like to replace Ralf - and David Tennant is one of the favourites.
Writing on a Facebook fan page, one fan said: "He won't do it, but David Tennant would be brilliant."
Another chimed in: "He would be but you're right, so I won't be putting my money on him."
A third added: "David Tennant for the next Detective Inspector? " while a fourth concurred: "Yes he would be a good addition."
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Introducing another Doctor Who favourite into the conversation, a fan suggested: "Matt Smith? ".
"Definitely David Tennant," another fan insisted. While BBC chiefs have kept mum on the identity of the new detective, they've assured that an announcement is forthcoming "in due course".
The bookmakers have also been whispering about who may don Neville's detective hat, with Martin Clunes currently tipped as the frontrunner.
The team at betideas.com are placing their bets on Martin as a 5/2 favourite to become the new star of the show, with Sanjeev Bhaskar and Toby Jones hot on his heels at 6/1. Bill Nighy isn't far behind with promising odds of 7/1.
Jason Watkins and Martin Freeman are also contenders, with bookies giving them odds of 8/1 and 10/1 respectively to step into Ralf's shoes.
In a previous tantalising Instagram Q&A session, Ralf teased fans about his potential successor without giving much away.
When pressed by a fan, he enigmatically responded: "I don't know. I have no idea, I'm not gonna swerve answering the question. I don't know. I don't know which direction they're gonna go in."
He continued, "I have honestly no idea and they haven't told me. Maybe they had no idea yet. I, like the rest of you, are going to be just sitting and asking, 'Who's next? Who knows? No idea. But we'll see what happens."
Death in Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
