Death in Paradise fans have revealed who they want to see take on the lead detective role in the wake of Ralf Little’s surprise exit.
The actor, 44, left the show at the end of series 13, as his character DI Neville Parker said farewell to the island of Saint Marie.
After the finale aired last month, Ralf took to Instagram to share: ‘The secret’s out! My time on Saint Marie has come to an end. But, what an end!’
He 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.
A 14th season has already been commissioned and a Christmas special slated with filming taking place in the coming months.
Death in Paradise fans have revealed who they want to see take on the lead detective role in the wake of Ralf Little ‘s surprise exit
He 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
And since it was revealed Roy had left after four years, the rumour mill has been swirling as to who will replace him.
Speaking about who could step into his shoes, Ralf admitted: ‘I have honestly no idea and they haven’t told me, maybe they had no idea yet.
‘But I like the rest of you are going to be just sitting and asking, “Who’s next?” Who knows? No idea. But we’ll see what happens.’
The bookies have put their odds on six frontrunners so far, made up of both men and women from various different backgrounds.
MailOnline gave its readers a chance to vote on who they wanted to take the job from those six, with more than a third backing Simon Bird, with 36 per cent of the votes.
The actor, 39, is also the bookies’ favourite to take the role, with Betfred’s odds of 5/4 giving him a 44 percent 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 went on to star in another successful comedy series, playing Adam Goodman in Friday Night Dinner.
MailOnline gave its readers a chance to vote on who they wanted to take the job from those six, with more than a third backing Simon Bird, with 36 per cent of the votes (pictured last year)
He has also worked behind the camera and last year directed A24 series Such Brave Girls for the BBC, described by The Guardian as ‘hands down the funniest British comedy of the year.’
Following closely behind Simon as the second most popular choice for Death in Paradise is Mathew Horne, who bagged 27 percent of the votes.
Like Simon, the actor, 45, is famed for starring on a beloved comedy series, playing Gavin in the double-BAFTA-winning series Gavin & Stacey.
With odds of 5/1, Mathew also edged his way into second place in the betting, with a 16.7 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.
Mathew continued to work with Gavin & Stacey co-creator James Corden on Horne & Corden as well as 2009’s Lesbian Vampire Killers.
He went on to star in the Bad Education Movie with Jack Whitehall and Catherine Tate’s The Nan Movie in 2020, based on the popular character from her BBC Two sketch show.
Next up in the running to take the detective job is Diane Morgan, with 13 percent of voters opting for her to be the first female lead.
Following closely behind Simon as the second most popular choice for Death in Paradise is Mathew Horne, who bagged 27 percent of the votes (pictured in 2018)
Next up in the running to take the detective job is Diane Morgan, with 13 percent of voters opting for her to be the first female lead (pictured in 2022)
With odds of 7/1, bookies also gave the comedian, 48, a 12.5 percent chance of being named for the role.
Diane is perhaps 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.
She has since revived the character in a series of mockumentary shows.
Diane also built up a fanbase playing Kath in Ricky Gervais’ dark comedy series After Life, and has also played Liz on the BBC Two sitcom Motherland.
Another popular actress who could replace Ralf is Jodie Whittaker, who got nine percent of the votes, alongside odds of 8/1 and an 11.1 percent probability.
It wouldn’t be the first time the actress, 41, had paved the way for a female lead in a predominantly male lead driven show, as she starred as the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who – the first woman to play the title role.
Jodie scored her first major role in 2006 feature film debut Venus, for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations.
Her performance in the 2011 cult science fiction film also saw her praised by critics and her appearance the same year in Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You.
Another popular actress who could replace Ralf is Jodie Whittaker, who got nine percent of the votes, alongside odds of 8/1 and an 11.1 percent probability (pictured in November)
Hot on Jodie’s heels is Jaye Griffiths, who bagged eight percent of the vote and has the benefit of already being familiar with the Death In Paradise set, having starred as DI Karen Flitcroft in last year’s series (pictured in 2017)
In 2013 she became a household name when she starred in British crime drama Broadchurch as Beth Latimer, mother of murder victim Danny.
And Jodie will next be seen 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 bagged eight percent of the vote and has the benefit of already being familiar with the Death In Paradise set, having starred as DI Karen Flitcroft in last year’s series.
At 60 years old, Jaye is the eldest contender tipped for the role and has odds of 10/1 and a 9.1 percent probability.
She first found prominence starring as Ros Henderson in the BBC series Bugs, which ran for four series.
Jaye went on to star as Sally Johnson in The Bill from 1993 until 1995 before making a number of guest appearances in 2003.
She also played consultant Elle Gardner in Casualty from 2016 to 2019, and often is found in police or hospital dramas, appearing in Doctors, Always and Everyone, Instinct, and Silent Witness.
While being more out of left field choice for the role, Romesh Ranganathan still managed to get seven percent of the vote to replace Ralf.
While being more out of left field choice for the role, Romesh Ranganathan still managed to get seven percent of the vote to replace Ralf (pictured in December)
The comedian, 45, did slightly better among the bookies with odds of 8/1 and a probability of 11.1 percent.
Romesh has become one of the BBC’s biggest stars in recent years after gaining prominence with appearances on comedy panel shows.
In 2018, he landed his own travel series, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, later winning a TV BAFTA for the show and teamed up with fellow comedian Rob Beckett for Rob & Romesh Vs.
He has also hosted the revival of The Weakest Link since 2021, replacing Anne Robinson, and the following year he co-wrote and starred in comedy drama series Avoidance, which is set to air its second season later this year.
