The finale of Death in Paradise season 11 proved to be an eventful episode for Commissioner Selwyn Patterson. During the investigation into the death of chess grandmaster Julius Rotfeld (David Sibley), who had collapsed and died during a match, Selwyn’s ex-wife Maggie Harper (Orla Brady), who he hadn’t seen or spoken with in years, turned up out of the blue.
She’s a journalist who had travelled to Saint Marie to cover the case.
On locking eyes with Maggie, Selwyn’s typically calm and collected demeanour fell away as he scurried hurriedly away to avoid conversation.
“He doesn’t know what to think,” Don Warrington, who plays Selwyn, told RadioTimes.com. “It’s the last person he expected to see. It’s absolute shock. He just doesn’t know what to think.”
Following their frosty reunion, the pair have dinner together, which helps thaw the ice between them. They then go on to enjoy a drink on the beach, where they share a kiss before spending the night with one another.
Warrington went on to explain that while the pair did love one another, their personal aspirations sounded the death knell for their relationship.
“They came to a point in their marriage where decisions had to be made,” he said. “I think he wanted to come back home and she wanted to stay in Europe and fulfil her ambition. They were both ambitious and I think that played into it more.
“They weren’t content to just let life happen. They wanted to take charge of what happened to them. So that, I think, led to the split. And I think they were both pretty heartbroken about it.”
!["Death]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/02/Death-in-Paradise-BBC-One-1fe1cee.jpg?quality=90&crop=40px%2C89px%2C5294px%2C3526px&resize=620%2C413" "\"Death")
But Maggie’s arrival wasn’t the only surprise in store for Selwyn. She also revealed that her daughter, who is now an adult, was also his child.
“He is numb [when he finds out] and he’s busy trying to process it, busy trying to make it make some kind of sense,” said Warrington. “Why did she not tell him? Why would you keep it secret for all these years? What is he supposed to do now?
“He’s got an adult daughter. All her childhood has gone from him. How are they to mend this? Are they going to mend it? It’s pretty devastating. It’s an extraordinary piece of information to be given.”
He added: “I think a lot of people are going to be shocked because Selwyn is a pretty closed character. There’s an air of mystery about him because that’s how he wants it, and this will shock a lot of his fans, to learn something of his history.”
As for how this will impact Selwyn in season 12 and beyond, Warrington said: “He’s a new character because every bit of information builds on the person who you think you know. I don’t think it’s something that will be left. I think some kind of rationale has to be worked out about it. But what that is, I don’t know.”
Death in Paradise is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Check out our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features or find something else to watch with our TV guide.
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