Ralf Little exposes grim reality of Death in Paradise filming

shared a grim insight into what it's like filming Death in Paradise. The actor, 45, portrayed DI Neville Parker on the BBC series for four years before announcing his departure in 2020. In 2023, Ralf gave fans a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes as he shared a video taken on set. "Here's a little bit of behind the scenes insight into the glamour of this job," Ralf began as he sat in a tent in between takes. This is a necessity in the costume department - armpit shields." He then showcased a bag filled with the unusual items before explaining why the actors all needed to wear them.

"Those are there to go in here," he quipped, pointing at his armpit. "It's so that we don't have damp or dark patches on our costume." He added: "Oh the glitz." The Two Pints of Lager star wrote the caption: "High Fashion? More like dry fashion. Staying fresh, one pad at a time. Could this be Film and TV's best kept secret? It's hard to stay cool when shooting in the Guadeloupe summer heat so the wardrobe department has to stay creative."

Ralf spent plenty of time in the Caribbean while filming the detective drama, and previously shared his biggest complaints about island life.

He expressed that the unstable WI-FI was one of his main frustrations and that power outages were common during storms. This would have undoubtedly caused issues for the Manchester-born star, who maintained contact with friends and family back home via his phone and laptop.

He said: "It is funny you do complain that the Wi-Fi's really unstable, and sometimes the electrics go in a storm."

He further elaborated on the perils of leaving food out after cooking. "It is funny you do complain that the Wi-Fi's really unstable, and sometimes the electrics go in a storm," he said. The Royle Family star further elaborated on the perils of leaving food out after cooking.

"You can't leave even a crumb out after cooking 'cause 10 minutes later there'll be a mound of ants all over it."

Despite these minor grievances, Ralf told The Telegraph that the stunning setting more than compensated for the technical difficulties he faced.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast after his exit, Ralf opened up about his decision to leave the show, admitting it was always the plan to exit when he did.

"You know, this last series was always going to be my last series. I spoke to the BBC and Red Planet, the production company, and we all agreed. If it was just a heart decision I would have wanted to do it for 20 more years. But just for the show and for my character Neville it just sort of felt like his story was finished and his journey deserved to be completed.

"He deserved a happy ending and it just felt right."