Death in Paradise star on doing his own stunt: “People think you’re fragile”

Don Warrington got in on the action in the 100th Death in Paradise episode.

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Tuesday, 06 February 2024 at 17:32 PM

The 100th episode of Death in Paradise was a major celebration of the beloved, long-running BBC drama, but it marked the occasion in a surprising way – with the shooting of one of the show’s longest-running characters.

Commissioner Selwyn Patterson was left with his life hanging in the balance in Sunday night’s episode, when he was shot by a would-be assassin.

The ordeal proved emotional for his trusty team of police officers, and the whole of Saint Marie was rocked by the attempted murder – and it turns out that actor Don Warrington did his own stunt in the shocking scene of the shooting.

The scene itself sees Selwyn sipping his drink at the end of a pier and looking out at the sea before being shot in the back by a mystery person.

Selwyn drops his glass and falls into the sea, and the last we see of him before the opening credits is him face down in the water.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Warrington was asked whether he did his own stunt for that scene, to which he replied: “Yes, I did. I loved it actually, I love it.”

Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington) in Death in Paradise. He is sat at a bar, nursing a drink. He is wearing a blue shirt and a purple tie, looking somewhat distressed.
Don Warrington as Selwyn Patterson.
Red Planet Pictures/Denis Guyenon

He continued: “You get to a certain age and people think you’re fragile, you’re breakable.”

Speaking about the Death in Paradise crew, Warrington said: “They were wonderful, they really were wonderful, they protected me like I was something from the crown jewels.

“I was surrounded by people in the water and they were waiting for me. It was wonderful, but I insisted that I can do it and I’m going to swim out of it.

“I loved doing that, actually, I really did – and it was very nice to see the amount of affection people had, they were very concerned: ‘Is he going to break?’ Well, thankfully I didn’t.”

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Despite the nail-biting drama, Selwyn lived to tell the tale, and the assassin was caught by DI Neville and the team.

But even though viewers of the series were very much wondering what would become of Selwyn, the actor never feared the end of his character.

Also speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Warrington was asked whether he feared being killed off after reading the 100th episode script, and responded: “No, I thought it was a very smart thing to do on their part, really. It kind of encompasses the whole series.”