Death in Paradise fans have revealed who they want to take on the role of lead detective following the surprise departure of Ralf Little.
The actor, 44, left the show at the end of series 13, when his character DI Neville Parker said goodbye to the island of Saint Marie.
After the finale aired last month, Ralf took to Instagram to share: ‘The secret is out! My stay in Saint Marie has come to an end. But what an ending!’
He was the longest-lasting lead and followed in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon who played the iconic role, with producers now looking for his replacement.
A fourteenth season has already been commissioned and a Christmas special is planned with filming to take place in the coming months.
Death in Paradise fans have revealed who they want to take on the role of lead detective following the surprise departure of Ralf Little.
He was the longest-lasting lead and followed in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon who played the iconic role, with producers now looking for his replacement.
And since it was revealed that Roy had left after four years, rumors have been circulating about who will replace him.
Speaking about who could step into his shoes, Ralf admitted: “I honestly have no idea and they haven’t told me, maybe they had no idea yet.”
But I like the rest of you to sit back and ask, “Who’s next?” Who knows? No idea. But we’ll see what happens.”
So far, bookmakers have opted for six favorites, made up of men and women from different backgrounds.
MailOnline gave its readers the chance to vote on who they wanted to unseat those six, and more than a third backed Simon Bird, with 36 per cent of the vote.
The actor, 39, is also the bookmakers’ favorite to take on the role, with Betfred odds of 5/4 giving him a 44 per cent chance of being named.
Simon made his breakthrough in the multi-award-winning comedy series The Inbetweeners and was nominated for a BAFTA for playing the geeky but affable Will McKenzie.
He then starred in another hit comedy series, playing Adam Goodman in Friday Night Dinner.
MailOnline gave its readers the chance to vote on who they wanted to take the job among those six, and more than a third backed Simon Bird, with 36 per cent of the vote (pictured last year).
He also worked behind the camera and last year directed the A24 series Such Brave Girls for the BBC, described by The Guardian as “without a doubt the funniest British comedy of the year”.
Closely following Simon as the second most popular choice for Death in Paradise is Mathew Horne, who took 27 percent of the vote.
Like Simon, the actor, 45, is famous for starring in a beloved comedy series, playing Gavin in the two-time BAFTA-winning series Gavin & Stacey.
At odds of 5/1, Mathew also worked his way into second place in the betting, with a 16.7 per cent chance of being named.
He began his career as part of the comedy duo Mat and MacKinnon and after being seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Catherine Tate, he landed a role on her sketch show as Jamie, Nan’s grandson.
Mathew continued working with Gavin & Stacey co-creator James Corden on Horne & Corden, as well as 2009’s Lesbian Vampire Killers.
He then starred in the film Bad Education with Jack Whitehall and Catherine Tate’s The Nan Movie in 2020, based on the popular character from his BBC Two sketch show.
Next in the race to fill the detective position is Diane Morgan, with 13 percent of voters choosing her as the first female lead.
Closely following Simon as the second most popular choice for Death in Paradise is Mathew Horne, who got 27 percent of the vote (pictured in 2018).
Next in the race to take on the detective role is Diane Morgan, with 13 percent of voters choosing her as the first female lead (pictured in 2022).
With odds of 7/1, bookmakers also gave the comedian, 48, a 12.5 per cent chance of being named for the role.
Diane is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Philomena Cunk, a ditzy interviewer and commentator, who first appeared in a regular segment of Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe.
He has since revived the character in a series of mockumentaries.
Diane also built a fan base playing Kath in Ricky Gervais’ dark comedy series After Life, and also played Liz in BBC Two comedy Motherland.
Another popular actress who could replace Ralf is Jodie Whittaker, who took nine per cent of the vote, along with odds of 8/1 and a chance of 11.1 per cent.
It wouldn’t be the first time the actress, 41, paved the way for a female lead in a predominantly male show, as she played the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who, the first woman to play the lead role.
jodie scShe landed her first major role in the 2006 feature film Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations.
Her performance in the 2011 cult sci-fi film also saw her praised by critics and her appearance the same year in the Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You.
Another popular actress who could replace Ralf is Jodie Whittaker, who took nine per cent of the vote, along with odds of 8/1 and an 11.1 per cent chance (pictured in November).
Hot on Jodie’s heels is Jaye Griffiths, who took eight per cent of the vote and has the advantage of familiarity with the set of Death In Paradise, having played DI Karen Flitcroft in last year’s series (pictured 2017).
In 2013 she became a household name when she starred in the British crime drama Broadchurch as Beth Latimer, mother of murder victim Danny.
And Jodie will next appear in Netflix’s Toxic Town, an upcoming British drama series that follows the story of three mothers involved in the Corby toxic waste case.
Hot on Jodie’s heels is Jaye Griffiths, who took eight per cent of the vote and has the advantage of familiarity with the set of Death In Paradise, having played DI Karen Flitcroft in last year’s series.
At 60, Jaye is the oldest proposed contender for the job and has odds of 10/1 and a 9.1 percent chance.
She first found prominence playing Ros Henderson in the BBC series Bugs, which ran for four series.
Jaye went on to play Sally Johnson on The Bill from 1993 to 1995 before making several guest appearances in 2003.
She also played consultant Elle Gardner on Casualty from 2016 to 2019 and often appears in police or hospital dramas, appearing in Doctors, Always and Everyone, Instinct and Silent Witness.
While he was more out of left field election for the position, Romesh Ranganathan managed to get seven percent of the vote to replace Ralf.
While he was more out of left field for the position, Romesh Ranganathan managed to get seven per cent of the vote to replace Ralf (pictured in December).
The comedian, 45, fared slightly better among bookmakers with odds of 8/1 and a chance of 11.1 per cent.
Romesh has become one of the BBC’s biggest stars in recent years after gaining prominence with appearances on comedy shows.
In 2018, he landed his own travel series, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, later winning a TV BAFTA for the show and teaming up with fellow comedian Rob Beckett for Rob & Romesh Vs.
She has also hosted the 2021 revival of The Weakest Link, replacing Anne Robinson, and the following year co-wrote and starred in the comedy-drama series Evitation, which will air its second season later this year.