Ardal O’Hanlon doesn’t see himself doing ‘Death In Paradise’ "forever".
The 53-year-old actor – who has played detective inspector Jack Mooney in the BBC crime drama since 2017 – has admitted that while he loves being on set, he isn’t sure how long he’ll stay in the role for.
Speaking to What’s On TV, he said: "I never really know from year to year. It’s a tough gig but still very enjoyable.
"Saying that, I couldn’t imagine doing it forever. I fudged that question didn’t I? I should go into politics!"
Ardal also opened up about the departure of Danny John-Jules, who left his role as Dwayne Myers at the end of the seventh series, and won’t be returning for the upcoming run.
The former ‘Father Ted’ star is glad he doesn’t make the decisions when it comes to moving on without one of the show’s original stars, with newcomer Shyko Amos joining the cast as Ruby Patterson.
He added: "You always wonder what will happen and how we replace him. Luckily it’s totally out of my hands and I don’t envy the people making those decisions.
"The new officer, Ruby, is an amazing, slightly cartoonish character and she brings lots of fun, energy and comedy to the show.
"’Death in Paradise’ is robust and it seems to survive cast changes well, there won’t be any radical differences. Jack’s more integrated into the community now too, he knows how the island ticks and he’s no longer a fish out of water."
Ardal and the cast have been filming on the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, and he joked he must have landed the job because he isn’t too "sweaty".
He laughed: "Luckily I’m not sweaty so they don’t have to bring multiples of the same shirt. It’s the only reason I was cast in the role – other actors would do a better job but they sweat too much."
Ardal O’Hanlon on Death In Paradise future
