{"id":27860,"date":"2022-12-26T20:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-12-26T19:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1760692"},"modified":"2022-12-26T22:44:50","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T21:44:50","slug":"ralf-little-on-slightly-eerie-death-in-paradise-christmas-special","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/ralf-little-on-slightly-eerie-death-in-paradise-christmas-special\/","title":{"rendered":"Ralf Little on \u201cslightly eerie\u201d Death in Paradise Christmas special"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Bill Borrows\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 26 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Ralf Little will never forget the call from his agent. \u201cMy other half and I had pulled up in a car park on the west coast of Ireland. I was standing in the rain when I was told they wanted me to be the new detective in Death in Paradise<\/a>. I was banging on the windscreen, trying not to shout it out loud, waving at my girlfriend inside the car, \u2018I got it, I got it!\u2019 You could say I was really delighted.\u201d Then he phoned his mum. \u201cShe said, \u2018I\u2019m so pleased, I\u2019m really proud of you.\u2019 She then called back two minutes later and warned me not to ruin it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had no need to worry. With a Christmas special on Boxing Day and Little\u2019s third series beginning on 6th January, his character DI Neville Parker is now the longest-serving expat British cop to be trapped on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t particularly mean anything,\u201d he says, humbly. \u201cIt\u2019s just nice to have been accepted by the public in a role that means such a lot to people.\u201d<\/p>

The Christmas special was shot in Guadeloupe at the end of May. \u201cIt\u2019s not an unusual thing in the industry to have to don your Christmas jumpers and party hats at the wrong time of the year,\u201d Little, 42, reflects. \u201cBut there\u2019s always something psychologically heartbreaking about picking up one of the presents the props department have left under the tree and realising it\u2019s empty. And the beautiful bright sunshine takes a little bit of getting used to. Christmas is dark nights, chillier weather and cosy houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

And sprouts, if DI Parker has anything to do with it (\u201cI\u2019m with him on that,\u201d says Little, \u201cand my mum\u2019s gravy is a must\u201d), but that is merely an intriguing subplot. \u201cThe Christmas episode is like a slightly eerie ghost story in a vaguely Dickensian style. There are some spooky goings-on the gang has to try to explain but Neville, of course, is a cynic. It\u2019s got that lovely, let\u2019s-huddle-on-the-sofa vibe, and Les Dennis<\/a> is magnificent as the psychic. I think people will love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new series, he promises, will also not disappoint. \u201cThere are a couple of surprises. It\u2019s Neville\u2019s most challenging time on the island yet. He has to deal with things that he never thought he would have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Death In Paradise\u2019s Christmas special<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Stopping a runaway jet ski, however, is unlikely to be one of them. \u201cThis is the one downside about playing Neville,\u201d says Little. \u201cAll the stuff he hates doing is all the stuff I love doing. I can\u2019t wait to get on a jet ski and go scuba diving, but I have to pretend to be scared when really I\u2019m thinking, \u2018Please let me go faster!’\u201d<\/p>\n

Not that he\u2019s complaining. As with faking Christmas, he says, \u201cIt\u2019s all for the art.\u201d But do mince pies in May mean that his Christmas is already half-done?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not at all. I\u2019m looking forward to it. It\u2019s all about family for me. We\u2019ll get together, exchange gifts, hang out and cook nice food. We don\u2019t really get to see each other that often, especially with me being away filming Death in Paradise for six months of the year. It\u2019s an opportunity to reconnect with my family and remind them what I look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Death in Paradise 2022 Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Boxing Day, 26th December, with previous episodes available to stream on\u00a0BBC iPlayer<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Check out more of our\u00a0Drama<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>\u00a0to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0<\/strong>Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n

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