Death In Paradise star Ralf Little has revealed the real reason he decided to leave the BBC show.
His character DI Neville Parker said farewell to the island of Saint Marie at the end of last month - leaving viewers in tears.
His departure came as a shock to fans, with the BBC only confirming Ralf had left the show after the finale aired.
And speaking about his exit on BBC Breakfast on Friday, the actor, 44, admitted he had always planned for this series to be his last and felt he had to walk away for the sake of his character.
He told hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt: 'You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed.'
Death In Paradise star Ralf Little has revealed the REAL reason he left the BBC show and admitted he always knew this series would be his last
His character DI Neville Parker said farewell to the island of Saint Marie at the end of last month - leaving viewers in tears
Ralf admitted: 'If it was just a heart decision I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years.
'But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed.
'He deserved a happy ending and it just felt right.
Speaking about getting the part in the first place he said: 'As an actor you're used to going "Oh well didn't get that one. Oh great I got that one," and you try not to get to excited or disappointed as a way to keep your sanity.
'But when I got that one there was some celebrations for sure. I mean who doesn't want to work in the Caribbean on one of the most beloved shows that I was a fan of before I went on it.'
After Ralf's final episode aired on March 25, the star took to Instagram as he toldhis fans it was an 'absolute privilege' to play Neville.
He said: 'So, there you have it! The secret's out! My time on Saint Marie has come to an end. But, what an end!
'New adventures await Neville and he got to sail off into the sunset with his best friend, and, you know, who knows what happens for them next! I just want to say, just an enormous thank you to everyone who watched and supported the show.
He told hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt: 'You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed'
Ralf admitted: 'If it was just a heart decision I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years. 'But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed'
Ralf was the longest-lasting lead and followed in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, and Ardal O'Hanlon who all played in the iconic role, with producers now on the lookout for his replacement
'When I arrived, four-and-a-half years ago, I knew I had big shoes to fill. Coming into a series beloved by millions, including me, was a huge responsibility.
'I had no idea if viewers would take to my interpretation of Neville's character and indeed to me, so it was quite a relief the response has been overwhelming.
'It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to bring Neville Parker to all of you and to share his really quite profound journey with you. I can't thank you all enough for the support over the last four-and-a-half years and as Neville heads off for new challenges and adventures and I head off for new challenges and adventures.'
He continued: 'When I look back at the time I spent on Death In Paradise, the way everyone took Neville into their hearts, it really has been one of the most magical and profound experiences of my entire life. If it wasn't for all of you, I'd have never of got to do it. So thank you, so so much!
'What next for the show? Well, I couldn't even tell you if I did know but I don't! I don't know! But what I do know is that the team that makes it, the producers, the writers, directors, all the crew, guest cast and of course my absolutely magnificent co-stars.
'They know what they're doing and the future is in good hands! So I'll be watching series 14 along with you guys with the same excitement you all will. I can't wait to see what happens next!'
Ralf's final scenes of series 13 saw him rushing to be withfan favourite DS Florence Cassell (Joséphine Jobert) after their 'will they, wont they' storyline reached its emotional conclusion.
After an intervention from his friends and colleagues, Neville dashed to the port to tell Florence how he felt, leaving viewers in tears as he declared: 'If the unknown is all you have to offer then that's good enough for me. All I want is for us to be together,'
The final scene saw the two sailing off together into the sunset.
Ralf was the longest-lasting lead on the show and followed in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, and Ardal O'Hanlon who all played in the iconic role.
With producers now on the lookout for his replacement, Inbetweeners star Simon Bird is the bookies front runner, while it Diane Morgan and Matthew Horne are also seemingly up for the role.
Betfred have predicted Simon's odds at 5/4, giving him a 44 percent chance of being named.
The actor, 39, made his breakthrough in the Noughties in the multi-award-winning E4 comedy series The Inbetweeners.
Having created many memorable catchlines on the show as the geeky but affable Simon McKenzie, the actor revealed he still gets called 'bus w*****r' regularly - in reference to his character's introduction on the series.
Next up in the running for Death In Paradise is Diane Morgan, who would mark the show's first female lead.
With odds of 7/1, the comedian has a 12.5 percent chance of being named for the role.
Diane, 48, isperhaps best known for her portrayal of Philomena Cunk, a dim-witted interviewer and commentator, who first appeared in a regular segment on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe.
The bookies' favourite to take the new detective role is Simon Bird , with Betfred's odds of 5/4 giving him a 44 percent chance of being named
Next up in the running for Death In Paradise is Diane Morgan, who would mark the show's first female lead. With odds of 7/1, the comedian has a 12.5 percent chance of being named
British-Sri Lankan comedian Romesh Rangathan has his name in the mix with odds of 8/1 and a probability of 11.1 percent
With odds of 5/1, Mathew Horne has edged his way into second place in the betting, with a16.7 percent chance of being named.
He began his career as part of comedy duo Mat and MacKinnon and after being spotted at Edinburgh Fringe Festival by Catherine Tate he landed a role in her sketch show as Jamie, the grandson of Nan.
From 2007 to 2010 he starred in the double-BAFTA-winning series Gavin & Stacey as the titular character alongside the likes ofJoanna Page, James Corden and Ruth Jones.
British-Sri Lankan comedian Romesh Rangathan has his name in the mix with odds of 8/1 and a probability of 11.1 percent.
The comic, 45, was previously a maths teacher and head of sixth form at Hazelwick school in Crawley before he turned his hand to standup.
Romesh has become one of the BBC's biggest stars in recent years and has hosted the revival of The Weakest Link since 2021, replacing Anne Robinson.
The second woman in the running for the role is Jodie Whittaker, who has odds of 8/1 and an 11.1 percent probability.
The actress, 41, scored her first major role in2006 feature film debut Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations.
The second woman in the running for the role is Jodie Whittaker , who has odds of 8/1 and an 11.1 percent probability
Rounding off the list of potential new leads is Jaye Griffiths, who has odds of 10/1 and a 9.1 percent probability
In 2013 she became a household name when she starred in British crime drama Broadchurch as Beth Latimer, mother of murder victim Danny.
Jodie starred as the Thirteenth Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who; the first woman to play the title role.
Rounding off the list of potential new leads isJaye Griffiths, who has odds of 10/1 and a 9.1 percent probability.
She's no stranger to the Death In Paradise set, having starred asDI Karen Flitcroft in last year's series.
At 60 years old, Jaye is the eldest contender tipped for the role and has made an extensive number of appearances in TV shows and series.
Ralf previously described playing the show's lead as a 'dream role', emphasising the show's quality and dismissed the notion of it being a 'guilty pleasure.'
In 2021 he said: 'I am still trying to gently steer the narrative away from that phrase. What is there to be guilty about? It is a high quality show, with a complex murder with new characters and a mystery that has to be resolved and they do it all in an hour.
'And it looks beautiful - never was murder so enjoyable. It is an incredible achievement. It is something I am very proud of.'
The series, set on the island of Saint Marie,was the BBC's third biggest drama in the UK in 2023, sittingjust behind Happy Valley and Doctor Who.
The drama has had a huge global success reaching over 240 territories. Its 100th episode will air during the current season.
