Death in Paradise star Don Gilet has admitted he feels the 'pressure' of replacing previous detectives, fearing fans might 'switch off' from the hit BBC drama.
The 58-year-old actor, who plays DI Mervin Wilson, appeared on Monday's episode of The One Show alongside Ricky Gervais and Alex Scott. He confessed that stepping into the role felt like releasing a 'second album', with viewers comparing him to predecessors such as Ben Miller and Ralf Little.
'I feel the pressure doing this. 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,' Gilet told presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp. '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.'
The star described the feeling as an 'enjoyable pressure' and revealed that his character Mervin, who initially arrived on Saint Marie seeking answers about his birth mother's death, is now settling in. 'There's been some draw, some familial draw that keeps him there now... I'm very happy to be playing the personal family side to it as opposed to just getting the bad guy.'
Gilet also teased the upcoming Christmas special, which sees a victim found dead in a swimming pool despite the murder weapon being locked in a drawer in England. The episode airs on BBC One on Sunday, December 28 at 8.30pm.
