AS viewers await the return of Death in Paradise, one of the show’s stars has revealed why he chose to return to idyllic murder hot spot.
Tobi Bakare starred as Sergeant JP Hooper for seven years before he decided to leave the tropical paradise of ‘Saint Marie’ for good in 2021.
Tobi revealed that the decision to come back wasn’t easy[/caption]
The actor and his family spent a lot of time on location during his seven season stint[/caption]
Tobi revealed that the great production team and beautiful island lured him back[/caption]
On screen JP was promoted within the police and left friends and colleagues behind, but off camera Tobi had done a lot of internal soul searching about his decision to go.
However, fans will be excited to see his familiar face once again as he pops up to star in an episode in the new series of Death in Paradise, which starts tonight.
Tobi is a man of faith and he previously said that a preacher in Guadalope, where the series is filmed, had helped him realise his time playing the likeable sergeant full time was up.
He and his family had committed so much time to being out in the Caribbean that Tobi felt he needed to shift his focus.
Speaking to The Sun ahead of the series launch Tobi said: “There’s different types of seeds. You have a career, you have your money, you have your family, you have your businesses, you have whatever.
“And sometimes you just got to water a particular seed a little bit more. And I’m still watering the seed of family.”
Having spent time away, when the call came to return, Tobi revealed that the decision to come back took some time to make.
He said: “I had to sit with it and pray on it, you know, sometimes when you move away from something, to go back to it, it’s like, you have to go, am I trying to rekindle an old flame, you know?
“But the truth is, I don’t think Death in Paradise is an old flame to me. I think it’s a constant flame. Sometimes it burns brightly, sometimes burns a bit more dimly, but it’s quite constant.
“So, coming back, it was not an easy decision because I had actually generally decided not to work that far out of the UK.”
But it seems that the combination of the stunning location and the team on location won Tobi around.
He said: “It’s a beautiful island. It’s hard to not miss the island and this show it’s got one of the most amazing production companies, Red Planet.
“They know how to get that out of the actors that they bring on board…And so that line, I think, will always be open, whether it’s, whether I go in it or not, I don’t know, but that line is always gonna be open.”
For fans this will be a chance to see how Tobi and his character take to the new DI Morgan, played by Don Gilet.
Speaking of the incoming detective Tobi said: “You know what Don Gilet reminds me of? Being in a pub in Finsbury Park watching Arsenal play.
“I just get that vibe, you know what I mean? The dress, the energy, all of it. And I think he plays the character just in a way that’s so relatable.
Most memorable Death in Paradise episodes
By Conor O’Brien
- Arriving in Paradise: The show’s very first episode, introducing Ben Miller as the straight-laced DI Richard Poole. This episode also introduces Poole’s team and the fictional island location location of Saint Marie.
- Amongst Us: The eighth episode of series one sees Richard uncover a major secret about Aidan (Adrian Dunbar), who has been dating Catherine (Elizabeth Bourgine). Far from his Line of Duty character Ted Hastings, Aidan is revealed to be a murderer.
- Death of a Detective: The first episode of series three marks a major turning point for Death in Paradise. DI Poole is killed off – with his murder being the first case for replacement DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall). This mirrors two years earlier, when Poole solved his predecessor’s murder.
- Stab in the Dark: This instalment, the first episode of series four, proved memorable for two reasons. It marked the introduction of Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert) who became a long-running character. Meanwhile, Don Gilet guest-starred as the killer – almost a decade before becoming the show’s latest DI.
- Swimming in Murder: Similarly to above, this episode marks the first appearance of JP Hooper (Tobi Bakare), who starred for seven series.
- Man Overboard (Part One and Two): This two-parter in series six had a lot of different elements involved. Some of the team travelled to London, DI Goodman exited the show – while newcomer DI Jack Mooney (Ardal O’Hanlon) made his first appearance.
- Switcharoo: Airing as the fifth episode of series nine, this was the first intalment following DI Mooney’s departure. In his place came DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little) – who became the show’s longest-serving DI.
- Sins of the Detective: The latter half of a two-parter in series 12, which saw Neville in the frame for murdering smarmy criminologist David Cartwright. Although the team eventually uncover the actual murder, it comes with a big shock.
- A Murder in the Skies: The finale of series 13 marked Neville’s exit from Saint Marie. The unlucky-in-love detective got a happy ending by sailing into the sunset with love interest Florence Cassell – who’d returned a few episodes earlier.
“He does such a great job. I mean, he produces these moments of, these really subtle moments of comedy, but it comes out of the familiarity.”
As someone who’s seen the show’s famous stars like Ralf Little and Ardal O’Hanlon come and go, Tobi is sure that the series still has a bright future.
He mused: “The show itself always survives. I think they’ve tapped into a formula that they can constantly work.
“And it’s exciting to see, sometimes when you’re backed into a corner, it’s exciting to see what you’ve come up with to bring up something new and fresh. So I think it can definitely survive.”
Death In Paradise returns tonight on BBC One at 9pm and will be available on BBC Iplayer
JP’s return will see him meeting the new DI for the first time[/caption]
