Death in Paradise star Ben Miller has shared details about his next career move during an appearance on BBC Breakfast. The actor, best known for playing Detective Richard Poole in the beloved BBC series, is venturing into new territory with his forthcoming adult thriller, A Very Dangerous Pursuit.
From Saint Marie to Spy Thrillers
Miller famously portrayed London detective Richard Poole in Death in Paradise, who unexpectedly found himself posted to the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie. After two series, his character met a shocking end at the beginning of the third season, paving the way for DI Humphrey Goodman, played by Kris Marshall.
Since leaving the show, Miller has appeared in numerous successful dramas, including Austin, Professor T, and Bridgerton. He has also ventured into writing with his bestselling children's adventure book series. Now, he is branching into fresh territory with his adult thriller.
A Very Dangerous Pursuit
The novel reimagines the protagonist of John Buchan's classic spy story The Thirty-Nine Steps in a "rip-roaring story of international intrigue, enchantresses, and master criminals from the streets of Constantinople to the decks of the Titanic."
Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, May 19, Miller told presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay: "I wanted to write a thriller. I love thrillers. I wanted to write a really dynamic thriller. This one's set in 1912, so it's the very, very beginning of all the technology that we love in spy stories."
He added: "The main character takes one of the very first airplane flights in this pursuit. He rides on one of the very first motorbikes. He's basically given an object in Constantinople that turns out to have some kind of secret. The Americans are interested, the Germans are interested, the French are interested, and there's this pursuit from Constantinople that ends up on the Titanic."
Inspiration from a Classic
Discussing how The Thirty-Nine Steps served as his inspiration, Miller elaborated: "The original version, most famously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock, is an absolute classic. It's a sort of one man against the world story. I think it's the very first kind of spy story that then becomes something a bit like James Bond. I kind of think of this as P.G. Wodehouse meets James Bond. This is a really, really exciting time."
Book Synopsis
The official synopsis states: "When one Richard Hannay - intrepid, inquisitive, and on the hunt for intrigue - encounters an old acquaintance in Constantinople, he has an inkling that something thrilling is afoot. Charged with an item of great mystery and import - a washbag, no less! - he soon finds himself in a very dangerous pursuit: from the luxurious confines of the Orient Express to the decks of the Titanic herself, all with the very fate of Europe in his care."
It continues: "Can he slip the net of Count Schwabing, whose long arm stretches from Berlin to the Bosphorus? And what of Madame Zara, the cabaret enchantress - does she play at affection, deception, or something far more deadly? In over his head, often a step - or thirty-nine - behind, but absolutely, resolutely determined to save the day, Hannay is about to embark on an escapade that will test his wits, his courage, and his ability to keep hold of a blasted washbag."
Death in Paradise can be streamed on BBC iPlayer, while A Very Dangerous Pursuit will be released on Thursday, May 21.
