Return to Paradise star Lloyd Griffith has revealed that his real-life sudden hearing loss has been written into the BBC drama, as the show prepares to return for its third season.
The spin-off from the beloved Death in Paradise crime series will make its comeback on November 6, with fans having last seen DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson) in Dolphin Cove at the end of 2025.
Griffith, who plays Detective Senior Constable Colin Cartwright, appeared on BBC Breakfast on Friday, October 23 alongside co-star Anna Samson to discuss the upcoming episodes.
Sudden Hearing Loss Diagnosis
Speaking to host Naga Munchetty, Griffith explained that he lost his hearing in real life a year ago this month. "I was at a wedding and it just went. I got diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss," he said.
"It just went within an hour, I had never heard of it before, just in my right ear. So I went to hospital and it can be treated, in some cases you can recover your hearing with steroids and steroid injection but sadly, that didn't happen."
Griffith now wears a hearing aid and is completely deaf in his right ear. The show's creators decided to give his character Colin a hearing aid, with the BBC supporting the move for visibility.
Inclusivity on Screen
Griffith said: "There still is a stigma with someone wearing a hearing aid, especially someone as young as me... That element of inclusivity it's lovely to be able to wear it and be seen wearing it and be able to talk about it on shows like this."
Co-star Anna added: "And it hasn't been made a thing of on the show, it just is, it just exists." Griffith noted that the creator, Peter, simply said people become deaf and it doesn't need to be a big thing, so Colin now wears a hearing aid.
He also shared a light-hearted moment from filming, saying: "I mean there was one scene where I didn't hear cut and I was in a cupboard for 15 minutes." Anna confirmed: "Yeah he was in there for ages and we'd all just moved on."
Return to Paradise returns Friday, November 6 on BBC One, with episodes also available on BBC iPlayer.
