Dᴇᴀᴛʜ In Paradise’s Don Gilet ‘terrified’ to replace Ralf Little: ‘What have I just let myself in for?’

Don Gilet has been filming on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Set to debut as DI Mervin Wilson, the actor has been on a rollercoaster ride after signing on to Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise.

Ahead of his character’s arrival in Saint Marie, Don, 57, has opened up about his “exciting and terrifying” journey on the show.

© BBC/ Lou Denim

Tasked with taking over from Ralf Little, Don quipped: “I liken it to one of those scary rides at a theme park. I’m going on it, and I know it’s going to be scary, but I’m going to do it.

“You’re daring yourself. Then you sit in the seat going, ‘What have I just let myself in for?’. But it was exciting because I knew I was embarking on this new journey.”

© Red Planet Pictures / Lou Denim / BBC

While he was nervous to join the detective drama, Don “felt this great sense of relief” after landing the part as “it was a great reminder to me that, yeah, you can still do this, it felt like a little personal air-punch-without-anyone-looking moment”.

Fans will get to meet DI Mervin in the upcoming Christmas special, and while Don had fun filming it, he had no idea how “intense” the shoots could be.

“It’s intense because you’ve got that heat from the start to the end of the day. It does get to a point where you are used to it, but it takes that extra layer of concentration,” he said.

© Philippe_VIRAPIN

“You can’t turn the temperature down, but it’s a beautiful backdrop to shoot against. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and go look at where you are and what you’re doing. It’s a beautiful place. I haven’t had much of a chance to venture out to see just how beautiful it is yet. Once you get used to the temperature, it’s a great job.”

© Philippe Virapin

Airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on December 22, the festive special will centre around the mystery of Stuart Fullwell (Marcus Brigstocke), a man dressed in a Santa suit who is found dead on the beach. Called in to investigate, Mervin gets to work with help from the team.

Reprising her role as DS Naomi Thomas, Shantol Jackson has had a “lovely” time working with Don, whose character doesn’t get off to a great start. Describing DI Mervin as “rude, insensitive and impatient,” the actress explained: “During the Christmas special, Naomi and Darlene want Mervin to leave but they understand that the team need a detective inspector.

© BBC

“He complains about the island a lot and is offensive, and that doesn’t sit well with her or Darlene. She makes these feelings known to him, but she does realise that he is very capable and intuitive.”