Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Death in Paradise star forced to pull out of show during filming 

Death in Paradise could have been very different 

cast changes
Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
Share this:

Death in Paradise stars Danny John-Jules and Ben Miller recently enjoyed reminiscing about their time on the show in a live Q&A with EM-Com, and revealed that an unnamed 'leading lady' was forced to pull out of the series in the early days of production. 

MORE: Joséphine Jobert teases permanent return to Death in Paradise

Speaking about the series of unfortunate events while filming season one, which included actress Sara Martins tearing her Achilles tendon and wearing a cast, along with and a series of hurricanes hitting the island, Danny pointed out that a 'leading lady' was "flown out in the middle of the series". 

WATCH: Death in Paradise says sweet goodbye to Shyko Amos 

Ben continued: "We had to fly her straight back. She arrived, then she had a bereavement in the family, and had to fly straight back." Danny added: "Another actress had to learn the part on the plane on the way over. They had to rewrite a whole episode." 

ben miller dip© Photo: BBC

Ben played DI Richard Poole in the first two seasons

Ben played the island's first detective, DI Richard Poole, and recently made his long-awaited return to the beloved BBC series, six years after his character was killed off the show. He appeared in episode six of season ten alongside his former partner, Camille DS Bordey played by actress Sara.

In the second half of a two-part storyline marking the drama's tenth anniversary, Camille returned to the island to visit her mother Catherine who had sadly been attacked and left hospitalised. In a touching moment as she took to Saint Marie's beaches, she was visited by the ghost of Ben.

The bittersweet reunion between the duo was praised by fans of the show who have been eagerly awaiting Ben's return since it was first teased back in December. Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: "Marvellous episode of #DeathinParadise! And seeing @ActualBenMiller and @Iam_SaraMartins back together brought tears to my eyes - bravo, and thanks for ten brilliant years!"

dip dwayne© Photo: BBC

Danny starred as Dwight in the popular crime show

Ben, who fans will have seen more recently in Netflix's Bridgerton, had remained tight-lipped about his character's return to the beloved BBC series but did take to Instagram hours before the episode with a fun behind-the-scenes snap. Showing him back in his specially-adapted backless shirts for the show, he wrote: "Hello old friend...T-minus 9 hours until @DeathInParadiseOfficial".

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

More TV and Film

See more