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Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has opened up about his chaaracter DI Mervin Wilson’s debut on the BBC show and how he’s different to the previous lead detectives in Saint Marie.
Don appeared on ITV’s Lorraine alongside Death in Paradise co-star Shantol Jackson, who plays Naomi Thomas, on Friday, 14 February. The duo discussed the latest episodes of the BBC series, which returned to TV screens in January.
Host Lorraine Kelly discussed how DI Wilson is different to the other detectives who took the lead on the show before him. Don replaced Ralf Little, who played DI Neville Parker, in Death in Paradise.
“I think what’s different about this one, is there’s a through line now. There’s an arc. There’s a personal journey that’s going on with the detective because he’s originally there to try and find his mother,” Don said.
He added: “And he happens to still be on the island when the latest crime is happening, so they think ‘let’s make use of him.'”
Lorraine pointed out that the detective is ‘reluctant’ to be on the island of Saint Marie, which she finds ‘interesting’ about him.
“Absolutely, he’s torn. Because he’s got this inner struggle,” Don revealed. “He wants to be there to find his mother but he doesn’t know what it’s going to be like when he meets her. He finds out she’s died, then he has to stay there, in this place he’s tried to leave.
“It’s all that struggle going on. He doesn’t get on with these people because he doesn’t want to be there. And everything happens, yesterday time, he’s come from London.”
The latest instalment of Death in Paradise kicked off with Mervin being thrown into a difficult dilemma. As he tried to head back to the UK, he came across the deceased body of newbie Benjamin (Anthony J Abraham), who had mysteriously been absent from work.
The discovery led Mervin to remain on the island in a bid to find out what really happened to Benjamin, as the circumstances surrounding his death looked suspicous.
The new DI’s no-nonsense approach has stirred things up in Saint Marie, but the newcomer has appeared to win over Death in Paradise fans, who have praised him on social media.
Death in Paradise airs on Fridays on BBC One at 9pm.