Death in Paradise star Ralf Little says it would be “fantastic” if Josephine Jobert returned for a reunion episode following her shock departure from the show earlier this year.
Little, who has played DI Neville Parker since season 10, revealed he was “devastated to see Jobert go” halfway through season 11, but remains optimistic that she could come back to the eternally sunny island St Marie at some point in the future.
“Josie’s a touch of class, a wonderful actor, charming, wonderful in the character and generally people have liked my stint at the helm of this show,” the star told Hello!.
“I think together, the audience really responded well to them and it made my job easier to try and become someone the audiences took to. Obviously, I was devastated to see her go and if she wants to come back for a reunion episode, that would be fantastic.”
French actress Jobert, who joined the series in season 4 and who first left in season 8, previously said she’d be up for return for a special episode.
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“Production was so nice!” she told the publication. “They told me, ‘We’re not going to kill you off, just in case one day you want to come back and say hello, not as a ghost but as a living person! […] Why not! Maybe not next year because it’d be too soon. People are going to be like, ‘What is she doing? Leaving, coming back, leaving, coming back. Like, girl!‘ But maybe in a few years, yeah, why not.”
Little will be back for season 12, adding: “I don’t feel that Neville’s story is done, I don’t feel that I’m done with the show.”
Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Commissioner Selwyn Patterson actor Don Warrington recently revealed that the cast will be heading back out to Guadeloupe to film season 12 soon.
Warrington said: “We’re still in England, we haven’t started yet. I think we start sometime in May. So I don’t know what we will do when we get out there.”
The BBC confirmed that alongside Little and Warrington, Elizabeth Bourgine, Tahj Miles, Shantol Jackson and Ginny Holder will also be back, with guest cast members yet to be revealed.
Death in Paradise airs on BBC One. Visit our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.
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