Don Gilet has shed light on the "intense" conditions he faced while shooting for Death In Paradise.
The EastEnders actor, set to take over from Ralf Little as the lead detective on Saint Marie in the popular BBC series, found his character DI Mervin Wilson in a bit of a tough spot from the get-go.
Gilet has spoken candidly about the challenges presented by the sweltering Guadeloupe heat, where the show is actually filmed. He acknowledged needing an "extra layer of concentration" just to cope with the temperatures, reports Wales Online.
Ahead of the special festive episode, Gilet revealed: "It's intense because you've got that heat from the start to the end of the day. It does get to a point where you are used to it, but it takes that extra layer of concentration."
Despite the weather, he expressed admiration for the splendid setting, adding: "You can't turn the temperature down, but it's a beautiful backdrop to shoot against. Sometimes, you have to pinch yourself and go look at where you are and what you're doing. I'm going on it, and I know it's going to be scary, but I'm going to do it."
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He added to Press Assocation: "You're daring yourself. Then you sit in the seat going, 'What have I just let myself in for? ' But it was exciting because I knew I was embarking on this new journey. I felt this great sense of relief. It was a great reminder to me that, yeah, you can still do this, it felt like a little personal air punch without anyone looking moment."
Following his departure, Ralf Little expressed his reluctance to leave, admitting that despite his hearts wishes, his head knew it was the right decision to move on.
He elaborated: "This last series was always going to be my last series. I had talks with the BBC and with Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed that it just felt... if it was in my heart, like if it was just a heart decision, I'd have wanted to do it for 20 more years. But just for the show, and... for my character Neville, it just sort of felt like his story... it deserved to be sort of finished and his sort of journey... sort of deserved to be completed, and he deserved a nice happy ending and so it just felt right."
*Death In Paradise's Christmas special airs on BBC One on Sunday December 22nd.
