Share and Follow
Death in Paradise star Ben Miller admitted that he “didn’t want to be there” while filming first series (Image: Daily Mirror)
Ben Miller, known for his role in the beloved BBC series “Death in Paradise,” recently opened up about a personal struggle that coincided with his time filming the show in the Caribbean. The actor, now 59, first traveled to Guadeloupe in 2010 to bring Detective Inspector Richard Poole to life. This character, a cantankerous London detective, finds himself on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie—a setting that has since become iconic to fans of the series, which is nearing its 15th anniversary.
However, Miller’s experience behind the scenes was far from the idyllic paradise depicted on screen. Just a week into what was supposed to be a six-month filming stint, he faced a challenging personal decision. As an ambassador for the charity Read It Forward, an initiative by Bookshop.org, Miller shared how that initial week in Guadeloupe turned his life upside down.
READ MORE: BBC “Death in Paradise” star reveals the true reason for his departure after fan reactions stirred controversy.
READ MORE: BBC Death in Paradise star explains real reason for show ‘exit’ after fan uproar
READ MORE: BBC iPlayer showing ‘charming’ TV drama that’s ‘just like Agatha Christie novel’
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, he said: “It was the beginning of summer that we went out together, my wife Jess and I, and we took my son from my first marriage at the time. We’d been there about a week or so when Jess went to a portaloo on set and took a pregnancy test and discovered she was pregnant.
“I think it was literally on the first day of filming that we found out she was pregnant, and then we didn’t really know what to do. She was supposed to stay for the whole shoot, but because she was pregnant, that had to change.”
This forced the family to make a difficult decision whether to stay in the Caribbean or separate and fly back to the UK. He went on: “We knew it was quite dangerous to do long-haul flights later on in pregnancy, so she went home as soon as possible. She left literally a few days later, and I stayed in the Caribbean while she was pregnant at home. That was hard, and she didn’t have a particularly easy pregnancy either. It was pretty tricky.”
The actor found out his wife was pregnant one week after they landed in the Caribbean (Image: BBC/Red Planet)
When he returned to the UK, he supported his wife through the final few months of her pregnancy before they welcomed their son, Harrison. The doting dad recalled: “I came home when Harrison was born in December, but then the following spring, I went back again around March or April to shoot the second series.
“Harrison was only about three months old when I left, and I didn’t see him from three months old until nine months old because I was there for six months filming. So, it really was quite hard.” The actor went on to show his appreciation for the show, but explained how difficult it was to miss those early months of his life while filming the BBC drama.
He confessed: “The show is amazing, it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing to be a part of, and I loved to play the character. But for me personally, I was a little bit torn because I also wanted to be at home with Jess when she was pregnant to help her through those tricky months of pregnancy.”
Despite his heartache, he managed to channel his feelings into his character, who was also struggling to adapt to life in the Caribbean after leaving the UK. Miller added: “It’s very interesting because in the show, my character really doesn’t want to be there, and there’s a big part of me that didn’t want to be there.
“And I think something about how true to lie that was, I think people could tell that I meant it when I would say, ‘I want to go home’. I think they can tell I mean it.” After two years in the role, Ben’s character was sensationally killed off, allowing Kris Marshall to step into the leading role as DI Humphrey Goodman.
He has teamed up with Bookshop.org for the 2026 Read it Forward charity drive (Image: Press Handout)
It comes as the established author of the Diary of a Wicked Witch (out now) teamed up with former Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, and YA novellist Gill Sims for the charity drive to inspire a love of reading in the next generation. The money raised from the drive will go towards BookTrust and Scottish BookTrust to support children from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Speaking about the drive, he gushed: “I’m delighted to be teaming up with Bookshop.org, whose mission to help local bookshops thrive online is something I wholeheartedly believe in. And what better time to support such a brilliant drive than the National Year of Reading just upon us?” For more information, visit their website at www.bookshop.org.