‘I worked on Death in Paradise – there’s a reason nobody stays on the show long’

Don Gilet, a new Death In Paradise star, has been warned by Ardal O’Hanlon that the job is “gruelling” and impossible to do for more than a few years, despite the fact that he was only working 12 hours per day for six days a week.

Ardal was questioned about his time on the hit BBC drama’s DI Jack Mooney from 2017 to 2020 and admitted it wasn’t easy and he was envious of the possibility of guest stars who could fly in and out of Guadeloupe while promoting a new stand-up tour. He was even given a talk of doom by the producers to get him ready for the enormous filming sessions while it was still hot. Looking back, actor and comedian Ardal, 59, said: “God, that was tough. Like, people don’t believe you when you tell them how tough it was. For that and every other aspect, I was so appreciative. And I look back on it now as a really great experience, kind of life changing experience, I would say, because it’s not just that you’re playing a lead in a popular BBC primetime drama. It’s more of a lifestyle thing.

“It was a radical change of scenery for me to move from a place where I rarely leave the house to kind of live outdoors for four summers, six months of the year, but it was grueling because of my enormous workload.

“And, of course, I’m not complaining about the work, but you have so much to prepare every day, so you don’t have much downtime at all, you don’t have the chance to enjoy the attractions out there. I used to be envious of the actors who were there! The suspects and the victim, you know, there’d be five or six guest actors every couple of weeks, and they would come over and they’d have such an amazing time.

” Like, they’d be there for a week or two, maybe in for two or three days, the rest of the time they’re sitting by the pool, drinking cocktails and me working me arse off, 12 hours a day, six days a week! I was very envious of them, therefore.

You simply have to get ready every day and think quickly. There was so many reasons for leaving it, I’d done four summers. That also has a negative impact at home. My family stopped coming over to see me, but I was aware of the writing on the wall.

He added: “They kind of tell you that at the beginning, like they said, ‘ You know, you might last two years or three years, but you know, you probably won’t last four! You can’t possibly handle it without preparation. The producer and I remember spending a day together when they came over. Before I went out there, I probably spent about a month here. And he was basically trying to go, ‘ You know, you can still get out of this, if you want! ‘ Do you know what I mean, he was kind of almost… he was really painting a very bleak picture saying, ‘ You know, like, it’s gonna be tough. ‘ You know, there’s hurricanes to deal with. There’s people going crazy because, like, people go stir crazy in that environment, you know, you’re always dealing with something, like there’s creatures that want to kill you”.

Ardal, a former Father Ted actor, was speaking to promote his new 2025 stand-up show, Not Himself. Explaining the subject matter, he said: “I suppose it’s loosely around that whole idea of identity. In the UK, where I regularly perform stand-up, I’ve noticed that comedy is a very diverse form of media right now, and that the majority of people I run into talk about their identities, whether it’s race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, or whatever. In Northern Ireland religion will come into the mix as well, religious background.

“So it’s a really big thing in comedy right now, and I suppose my style was… I once had a tendency to be a joker; in other words, I thought I was a craftsman, making up jokes that were entirely fictional, with a slight surreal twist, or whatever.

And I suppose in more recent years, I’ve just been, I suppose, inspired by all those comedians that I work with, I suppose reflecting a little bit more on who I am, where I’m coming from, my upbringing and my relationship with with world around me, with technology, for example, that’s a big part of my show, how our identities are shaped by the technology we use. “

Ralf Little, who played DI Neville Parker for five years, took Ardal’s place in Death In Paradise.

In the upcoming Christmas special, DI Mervin Wilson will play the role of the show’s new lead.

With over 8 million viewers tuning in to Death in Paradise, the 2024 series is still the most watched return drama in the UK across all broadcasters and streaming services.

* Ardal O’Hanlon is on tour from September 2025 on his UK and Ireland tour Not Himself.

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Source: Mirror