Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Death in Paradise star Ralf Little reveals Neville’s new romance after Florence heartbreak 

Welcome to the island of St Marie Sophie! 

ralf little telescope
Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
Share this:

Death in Paradise star Ralf Little has opened up about a very exciting romance storyline for his character DI Neville Parker in the upcoming Christmas special, and we couldn’t be more excited. 

MORE: Death in Paradise season 12: Everything you need to know

Chatting to HELLO! and other reporters alongside his fellow cast mates Shantol Jackson and Don Warrington, he explained: "Neville meets a character, Sophie, played by Chelsea Edge, whose brilliant. She arrives on the island like a bombshell, Sophie not Chelsea. He's immediately smitten. But it's not as simple as that because he still misses Florence terribly. He's still quite burned by that experience. " 

WATCH: Death in Paradise star Ralf Little welcomes 'unexpected guest' during break from filming

He continued: "It’s been a difficult time to sort of get used to being on the island. He had all of those challenges to overcome. He largely has now, although, you know, he's not suddenly fine with all these kinds of somewhat quirky eccentricities, they haven’t just disappeared. But he’s just settled in, being used to the island then Florence left. He's still a bit devastated.

dip ralf soph© Photo: BBC

Welcome to St Marie Sophie!

"He is focusing on work. He's just about got a routine. And then suddenly this extraordinary character, this fabulous woman arrives and completely throws him for a loop. So there's a lot to deal with, especially because he's still been burned by Florence and he still misses her and doesn't quite know what it all means. So, you know, it’s never smooth and it gets more and more complicated. There's a lot to enjoy!" 

Sophie is set to be played by Chelsea Edge, who has previously starred in Andor, Suspicion, End of Term and The Seed. 

ralf little sophie© Photo: BBC

We can't wait to check out this romance

The Christmas special’s official synopsis from the BBC reads: "The end of the last series saw Selwyn hit with a bombshell from the blue, leaving fans eager to see how the Commissioner will come to terms with the knowledge that he has a daughter… Christmas in Saint Marie takes a spooky turn this year when an old case of Selwyn’s comes back to haunt him following the murder of a true crime podcaster on the hunt for a missing child.

MORE: Josephine Jobert shares nostalgic Death in Paradise 'souvenir' after quitting show

MORE: Ralf Little gives warning about character in Death in Paradise season 12 

"Marlon is forced to spend the night in a haunted house and Darlene takes a hard look at her life choices. And after a chance encounter in an airport car park, could love finally be in the air for Neville Parker?" Sign us up! 

Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter and get the heads-up on the shows and films everyone’s talking about.

More TV and Film

See more