After Ralf Little’s emotional yet heartwarming departure from Saint Marie, it’s time to look forward to the next season of Death in Paradise. That’s right, the show is coming back for more sun-drenched murder mysteries, led by a brand-new Detective Inspector. Get ready to meet DI Mervin Wilson.
In May 2024, just a few weeks after Death in Paradise season 13 finished airing on BritBox in the United States, the BBC officially announced that Don Gilet, well known for his roles in EastEnders, Shetland, Doctor Who, Sherwood, and more, would be leading Saint Marie’s small but effective police force in Death in Paradise season 14. Though very little has been revealed about the character thus far, the BBC has stated that “Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson—who arrives on the idyllic island of Saint Marie from London, isn’t overly pleased with his new surroundings …” Sounds like Wilson, like most of the detectives who came before him, will need a moment to adjust before falling in love with this beautiful yet oddly dangerous tropical island.
After the departures of Ralf Little, Joséphine Jobert, and Tahj Miles, whose character Marlon exited halfway through Death in Paradise’s most recent season, the new series will be tasked with introducing the viewer to a fresh new dynamic between the officers.
Thankfully, though, other fan-favorites cast members such as Don Warrington, Shantol Jackson, Ginny Holder, Élizabeth Bourgine, and Danny John-Jules will be returning for Death in Paradise season 14, reprising their roles as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, DS Naomi Thomas, Officer Darlene Curtis, Catherine Bourday, and Officer Dwayne Meyers, respectively. Seeing how the new DI will fit in with this old familiar team will certainly be fun.
Gilet will debut as DI Mervin Wilson in this year’s Christmas special, which is currently filming on location in Guadeloupe and will air in December this year. The new season will follow early in 2025. Though an exact release date has yet to be announced, we’d expect it to start on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. sometime in January or early February, before premiering on BritBox in the U.S. a few weeks later.
