Death in Paradise has seen a number of actors come and go over the years since it first aired in 2011. Among them was actor Gary Carr, who portrayed Sergeant Fidel Best in the series for the opening three seasons. He became part of the programme in 2011 and departed in 2014 when his character chose to join the police force on the adjacent island, St Lucia.
In reality, his co-star Kris Marshall, who played DI Humphrey Goodman on the show from 2014 to 2017, revealed that Gary wished to 'move on' from his part. The same year he departed Death in Paradise coincided with his appearance in the cherished period drama Downton Abbey, in a part many might have overlooked.
Gary appears almost completely different when he assumed the role of American jazz singer Jack Ross in Season four. His narrative revolved around his clandestine romance with Lady Rose (Lily James), whom he intended to wed despite his race and social standing, reports the Express. Nevertheless, Jack chose to call off their engagement after recognising that marrying Rose would generate considerable challenges in their relationship owing to the public criticism they'd encountered regarding their racial and class distinctions.
Gary became the first black actor to feature in Downton Abbey, and at the time, his inclusion prompted divided responses from certain viewers, with some accusing the show's creator, Julian Fellowes, of tokenism. The actor, however, firmly rejected this notion, telling The Standard: "He is an African-American, and that prevents him from following his heart at times and doing what he really wants to. He has to make sacrifices and choices based on the fact that he is a black man in the UK at that time. But Jack is also intelligent and stylish and cool. He knows what he's doing, and he asks questions of himself, too."
"Would I want to play a token character? No, of course not. A lot of people have made judgments about how Jack is going to be portrayed, but I think they've got it wrong."
Downton Abbey is available to stream on ITVX, while Death in Paradise can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.
