Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise’s Don Warrington has two very famous sons fans didn’t know about
BBC's Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise star Don Warrington has played Selwyn Patterson since the series started in 2017.
One Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise star has a famous son fans knew nothing about. Don Warrington has played Saint Marie’s police commissioner Selwyn Patterson in the BBC series since it launched in 2017 – and with the drama drawing to a close and spin-off Beyond Paradise starting in its place, fans are keen to know all about the cast off-screen.
Don, 72, has starred in everything from sitcom Rising Damp to Red Dwarf alongside his Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise co-star Danny John-Jules. In his personal life, the star was born in Trinidad, moving to Newcastle upon Tyne when he was seven years old with his mum and brother. He actually has a fairly prominent father, too. Don’s dad was Basil Kydd, a Trinidadian politician who sadly died in 1958, when Don was six years old.
Don Warrington has two famous sons he shares with wife Mary Maddocks (Image: Getty)
But it’s Don’s son, Jake Fairbrother, who has followed in his dad’s acting footsteps. Jake has starred in everything from 2012 Bond film Skyfall to TV drama Grace, along with an episode of Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise alongside his dad in 2022. He’s also appeared in Vera, The Sandman and Alex Rider.
At one point, both Jake and his dad Don were starring in plays in the same city together, with Jake taking on a role in The Maids at HOME Manchester while his dad worked up the road at the Royal Exchange theatre for a role in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ of a Salesman.
Jake told Quays Life in 2018: “It’s absolutely a coincidence that my dad and I are working in Manchester at the same time, but a lovely one. He’s just down the road at the Royal Exchange in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ of a Salesman, which I saw last night!
The Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise star has starred alongside his son (Image: Getty)
“His performance is incredible, everyone should try and see it. We’ll hopefully be able to grab pre-show dinners together once The Maids is up and running too.”
Jake’s mum – Don’s wife – Mary Maddocks is also an actor who has starred in the West End adaptation of The Rocky Horror Show, and Jake gushed over them: “The main thing I get from both of them is they understand the art of performance and the need to perform. It’s not something you choose to do. It’s something that you can’t not do.”
Don is also father to Archie, a writer and comedian who penned 2021 play A Place For We which starred Blake Harrison of The Inbetweeners. His comedy-drama Congton was commissioned by the BBC.
