When Ralf Little told his mum he had landed the lead role on hit drama Death In Paradise, he was no doubt expecting words of praise from her.
But instead, the actor, 39, revealed she told him she was worried he could be a flop.
Ralf, who is replacing Ardal O’Hanlon in the BBC show, said on getting the part: “Mum went, ‘But what if no one likes you and they stop watching it?’ I was like, ‘Thanks, Mum.’
“So I hope I don’t affect Death in Paradise like George Clooney did Batman, so only Christian Bale can come in and revive it.”
Ralf plays Det Insp Neville Parker in the murder mystery show, who is reluctantly dispatched to the fictional island of Saint Marie to investigate the suspicious death of a woman from his home city of Manchester.
His first appearance will be in episode five of the current series on February 6.
It was announced this year Ardal would be leaving. His character Det Insp Jack Mooney quits this week.
Ralf also said he was the “luckiest person in the world” to have landed the part of Antony in the Royle Family at just 18.
He told Radio Times: “I stumbled out of nowhere into being in a bit of TV history.”
- Death In Paradise, Thursday nights at 9pm on BBC1. The full interview with Ralf is in this week’s Radio Times.
