Death in Paradise star Ralf Little returns to television screens tonight as DI Neville Parker, in a repeat episode of the BBC One series. The broadcast comes as Little bids farewell to another role, having concluded his run in the stage production The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.
Stage role ends with thanks to cast and crew
Little starred as Alec Leamas, a weary British intelligence officer, in the first stage adaptation of John le Carré's Cold War thriller. Adapted by David Eldridge and directed by Jeremy Herrin, the production toured major UK venues through August 2026, following runs at Chichester Festival Theatre and the West End.
Writing on Instagram, Little marked the end of the role: "An amazing few months with the best cast and crew. A huge thank you to everyone who came to see @spyonstage. That's a wrap."
Fans praise the production
Supporters commented on the post to commend Little's performance. One wrote, "This is brilliant and well acted. It's like a cross between a spy and love story." Another added, "You all deserve a massive pat on the back! & be bloody proud! Incredible show, well done."
In a previous interview on The One Show, Little described his character: "[Alec] is sort of exhausted by the job, he's a spymaster. People under his care, one by one, his friends, colleagues and people he's supposed to be looking after are captured and killed by the other side. He's exhausted, mentally, morally and physically exhausted."
He added, "He comes back to the UK and is persuaded by the top brass to go on one final mission to essentially track down and get revenge on the man who captured and eliminated all his friends and colleagues."
Neville Parker returns to Saint Marie
Tonight's episode, the eighth from series 11, sees DI Neville Parker solving another murder on Saint Marie. The summary states: "When a prestigious chess match ends in murder, the team members have to work out how and why the killing was carried out." Meanwhile, the Commissioner is confronted with his past by the very last person he was expecting to see.
Death in Paradise broadcasts this evening at 9pm on BBC One.
