Passions: I love Death in Paradise but the predictability of the casting is murder

Wouldn’t it be a surprise if the show’s new lead was a middle-aged white guy?

Who would you lie to see star in Death in Paradise, available as a box set on the BBC iPlayer? (Picture: BBC Pictures)

Ralf Little has quit Death in Paradise. Transplanted British detective Neville Parker has left Saint Marie, finding his happy ending with DS Florence Cassell.

And so it begins again, the speculation as to who the next lead in the BBC1 staple will be. If the past 13 series are anything to go by, you can bet on a familiar telly face of the white, middle-aged and decidedly male persuasion. We started with Ben Miller, moved on to Kris Marshall, Ardal O’Hanlon and then it was Little – all talented, likeable leading men, but isn’t it rather predictable?

And unbelievable. And unbelievably insulting. Every few years the writers have to come up with a reason as to why yet another Brit is coming to the Caribbean to lead the island force. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s White Saviour Complex because the locals aren’t having to be knocked into shape by the likes of Neville. Nope, they’re generally competent to brilliant.

So why, after all this time, have the producers not risked making one of the regulars, someone we know and like, the lead? The whodunit has been sold to hundreds of territories, maybe global viewers would love to see someone a little less pale?

The lack of career progression must be the reason so many officers leave St Marie – JP, Fidel, Ruby, Marlon. The list goes on. The obvious choice would be Neville’s super-sharp deputy, Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson), serious about her job but loads of fun.

I’d love to see original sidekick DS Camille Bordey (Sara Martins), dispatched to Paris after series four (someone missed the boat by not giving us Death in Paris) come back and take charge. OK, we last saw her via Zoom this year, giving birth, but might that not make her long for home, and the help of bar-owning mother Catherine, a regular since the beginning? Who says a new mum can’t also solve crimes?

What about JP Hooper, so good he was snapped up to train young officers? Tobi Bakare’s return would bring a fresh dynamic.

Or, if a St Marie officer is just too outre, why not a Black British woman? Or just a woman full stop? I’m not holding my breath. Casting directors are likely calling Shane Richie even now. Or Bradley Walsh. Or Brian Conley...