Before Ralf Little took on the role of DI Neville Parker in Death in Paradise, he co-wrote and starred in a beloved British sitcom called The Cafe, a decade earlier. The Greater Manchester actor joined the BBC show in January 2020, following in the footsteps of Ben Miller, Kris Marshall and Ardal O'Hanlon.
From Death in Paradise to The Cafe
Little held his role for four seasons, making him the show's longest-serving detective, before handing over to Don Gilet, who took over in 2025. But before his Death in Paradise fame, he had already gained a legion of fans from appearances in The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, among other shows.
One lesser-known sitcom that he co-wrote and starred in premiered in 2011. The Cafe centred on a Weston-super-Mare café run by three generations of women - grandmother Mary (June Watson), mum Carol (Ellie Haddington) and daughter Sarah (Michelle Terry). It followed their family business and the regular customers they dealt with as they navigated everyday life in their quiet seaside town.
Creating a gentle, dialogue-based comedy
Sarah returned home from London in her late 20s, attempting to pursue a writing career as she went back to life alongside many of her old school friends, including Richard, her former childhood sweetheart. Little played the care home assistant by day and musician by night, who was left ruffled by their fellow class-mate and former love rival, John (Daniel Ings), returning to Weston from his successful life in London to visit his elderly mother.
Little previously spoke about creating The Cafe alongside Michelle Terry, telling Digital Spy back in 2011: "Michelle and I, to be honest, we just wanted to write a six-part comedy. The next question was did we want it be studio-based or surreal like The Mighty Boosh. I soon realised that I didn't have the imagination for that kind of thing. Eventually we settled on something gentle, dialogue-based and we thought, 'It's been done in a pub, it's been done in a house, I suppose a cafe might work'."
He added: "I think when we had the conversation, we probably were in a cafe. It was just a place for us to hang authentic dialogue and authentic characters. When you are in a cafe there'll often be someone writing something in a corner, everyone has their own lives and everyone's lives are as important to them as yours is to you. All these different lives interlock in this one place and it just seemed the right place to put our people."
Fans praise the show's charm
He went on to admit that the writing process was "daunting", adding: "It's tricky when you first start. More often than not, the stuff we put in the show was things we heard verbatim on the bus, or our grandparents or restaurants that we were in. You think, 'This is funny', but the tricky bit is crowbarring it in. In fact, you can't crowbar it in or else it won't bear the hallmarks of authenticity and it just won't work and will probably irritate viewers."
The Cafe ran for two seasons, with Sky confirming its cancellation in a statement: "We can confirm that The Cafe will not be returning for a third series. It is a show that we are incredibly proud of but we have to make difficult decisions regarding which series to bring back. We would like to thank the writers and performers Ralf Little and Michelle Terry, the brilliant cast and crew and production company Jellylegs for delivering two wonderful series."
The series was hailed as "brilliant" by fans, with one writing: "Storyline is simple. Just the life of a 3 generational family seaside cafe and the locals that stop in for tea, coffee, latte. Lost 30 somethings trying to figure out life and love. Lost 60s something trying to figure out life and love. It's life time friends and relationships. It's a listening show with great dialogue. You'll walk away with a smile after watching this show."
Another called it a "sweet comedy", while someone else said: "Appreciating The Cafe requires the watcher to slow to the pace of an English seaside, what a delightful escape. The characters are gently no hacked off limbs, no tawdry affairs. I love the subtle development of each character, no the jokes are not always belly laughs but then that's what makes it real - bad jokes bind the characters just as they do in real life."
Another review read: "We love The Cafe! Each season is essentially a well crafted movie sliced into little episodes. The setting, characters and dialogue are completely charming and the camera work and editing are precise and smart. Our family loved the overall effect. The run up to the finale in season two are really fun and very sweet. Bravo to the writers, director and cast."
The Cafe is available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video. Death in Paradise is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
