Don Gilet is back on our screens as DI Mervin Wilson for a very special festive episode of Death in Paradise.
The Beyond Paradise Christmas episode airs on 28 December on BBC One and follows the Londoner and the Saint Marie team investigating a mysterious murder after a man is found shot dead at a Christmas party.
A year on from making his debut on for the BBC show's 2024 Christmas special, Don admitted on The One Show ahead of the new episode: "I feel the pressure doing this. I've said this before, it feels like the second album, you know the first one went well, I was the replacement like a replacement Doctor Who and people have their favourites prior to that.
"So there's always this sense of 'well is he going to be as good as...' are people going to switch off, but luckily no one has switched off yet but you've got to come back and do it again and better so I'm not resting on my laurels."
He continued: "I do feel a bit pressure but it's an enjoyable pressure. I love coming back and doing more of the same but with something a bit extra."
The 58-year-old actor, who took over as the show's lead from Ralf Little, is known for playing Lucas Johnson in EastEnders, as well as for his starring role in 55 Degrees North. Fans may also recognise him for his brief stints in Sherwood and Shetland.
As the BBC detective series returns in time for Christmas, find out all you need to know about Don's life off-screen.
Don, who hails from Walsall in the West Midlands, reportedly lives in London.
The 58-year-old is a dad to teenage son Flynn, whom he shares with his ex-parter, actress and author Tracy Whitwell. Don met Tracy while starring in the BBC drama 55 Degrees North as Detective Sergeant Nicky Cole.
Back in 2014, Don described his son, who was eight years old at the time, as "pretty rambunctious".
"I think he's got some of my playful genes... I have fun at work but when I get home I have to become a father and keep an eye on him not getting too wild," he told The Sunday Post.
"He's a lovely kid but he's very active and loves to run about the place. If you wind him up to play you have to allow the time to calm him before he beds down at night."
Back in 2008, Don revealed that he nearly quit acting before landing his role in EastEnders. Speaking to the Sunday Mercury at the time, the actor said he almost got "a normal job" to provide for his then-partner and young son.
"This time last year, money was really tight and I was seriously thinking about jacking acting in and getting a normal job," he said in the interview. "The work had dried up and I thought, 'Maybe I've had my time, maybe this is it'.
"This is a precarious business, it's either feast or famine and I'm used to times of unemployment, but that was before I had responsibilities. Now I have a mortgage and a baby to look after so I was really worried," he explained.
Luckily, Don won the opportunity to play Lucas in the BBC soap and has been a regular fixture on our screens ever since. Most recently, he played Deputy Director Prigg in the Jason Statham-starring action thriller film, The Beekeeper.
Don is perhaps best recognised for his roles in 55 Degrees North and EastEnders. However, fans may also know him for playing Jesse Law in Holby City and Blake Albrighton in ITV's 2017 police drama, The Loch.
In recent years, he's appeared in a string of hit series, including Netflix's The Stranger, Midsomer Murders, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, Sherwood and Shetland.
Don is dating Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran. The actress referred to Don as "my fella" in an interview with The Guardian in January 2025, which came over two years after they were pictured arriving at the TV Choice Awards together. It's been reported that the pair met on the set of the ITV miniseries, The Loch, in which they both starred.
Death in Paradise returns to BBC One for a Christmas special on Sunday 28 December at 8:30pm.
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Lucy Punch has starred in TV shows like Let Them Eat Cake, Midsomer Murders and Doc Martin, as well as films like Hot Fuzz, St Trinian's and Bad Teacher
Kris Marshall stars as Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman, alongside Sally Bretton as Martha Lloyd in the Death in Paradise spin-off, Beyond Paradise
