A star of the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise is set to be exiting the popular show after nearly five years.

It comes as Bolton School old boy Ralf Little, who plays DI Neville Parker, is expected to make his final appearance in the show on Sunday’s, March 24 episode.

The Death in Paradise star's final episode will see DI Parker continue his hunt for true love while facing one final mystery.

Little’s exit will see the creators of the BBC show welcome a new lead, with previous series of Death in Paradise seeing Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O’Hanlon all in the lead roles.

Ralf Little to leave Death in Paradise this week

Discussing the exit, a source told The Mirror: “Ralf has been brilliant in the role and he’s given it a good long run. Fans are sure to be sad to see him go but they’ll also be happy for Neville.”

The lead actor's exit had been rumoured for some time as more fans tuned in each week to hints that DI Parker could be leaving the island for good.

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Little first appeared on the BBC show back in 2019 when he shared: “It took less than 0.005 seconds to say yes to playing the new DI! How could I not? It is a joy to play Neville and I can’t wait for viewers to see him in paradise.”

Death in Paradise began in 2011 and has already been commissioned for a 14th series as well as a 2024 Christmas Special that will be filmed soon.

Death in Paradise airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday at 8 pm.