Ardal O’Hanlon won’t rule out a return to ‘Death in Paradise’.
The 54-year-old actor – who is leaving the show to explore other projects and spend more time with his family – admitted there is always a slight chance he could reprise his role as DI Jack Mooney, although he would prefer to do so without having to be on location.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, he joked: "Maybe the island will come to me.
"I might retire to the Outer Hebrides or somewhere and start crime-busting there, and maybe the team will reunite.
"You never know, I mean you never say never in this business anyway. Full stop."
Ardal – who insisted he’s done everything he could with the character he’s played since 2017, and the time is right to leave – will be replaced by Ralf Little, and he suggested viewers will forget about him "in the blink of an eye".
He said: "I know the audience are going to love Ralf, and Ralf’s going to be great in the part, and I’ll be forgotten about in the blink of an eye.
"We were in touch by email, he was kind of picking my brains a little bit and I was offering whatever advice I could."
However, the departing star insisted he didn’t want to overland Ralf with advice because he knows there is nothing more valuable than being there filming the show.
He added: "So you kind of learn as you go along, and you learn quickly, you have to learn quickly, but I think Ralf is smart and I think he’ll land on his feet out there and he’ll be absolutely grand."
Ardal O’Hanlon: Never say never to Death in Paradise return
