Death in Paradise's JP Hooper's exit explained as he returns after four years
Death in Paradise's JP Hooper's exit explained as he returns after four years
Share:
Death in Paradise fans were left devastated when JP Hooper, played by Tobi Bakare, decided to leave Saint Marie back in 2021. As season 14 of the popular BBC show is set to return this week, viewers will be delighted to see a familiar face making a comeback. Despite leaving the show after seven years, following an offer of a new job from Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, Tobi's character is set to return.
The actor revealed to RadioTimes that he knew three years prior to his departure that his time on the show was coming to an end, following an incident while filming for season seven in a church. He said: "The preacher mentioned seven years in a message. As soon as he mentioned seven years, I don't know what happened. It just clicked. It was like a moment of realisation. I had three more years left. It was three more years until it would be seven years, but it just hit me so hard.
"At this time, my wife was in the UK, and I told her that I know when it's going to be time for me to leave the show. But I wanted her to go away, pray about it, and think about it. "She'd done so, and called me up the next day, and said, '2020'. So the exact time of the seven years. So we were like, 'Yeah, that's the time.' That's the actual reason.". Tobi admitted to his co-star Tahj Miles, who plays Officer Marlon Pryce, that he would have stayed another year for him. He confided in Tahj on his YouTube channel: "You were the one that created the conflict in between me leaving because we found the flow.".
Tahj's character joined the show in season 10 and viewers saw him clash with JP.However, their rocky friendship was resolved before he left the island. Although fans will have to wait to see if their bond lasts when JP returns. Death in Paradise's official Instagram broke the news of Tobi's return, sparking excitement among fans. One fan gushed: "So nice to see Tobi back, loved his character.". Another chimed in: "I miss you JP!" A third exclaimed: "OMG I hope we get JP for more than one episode!!" One hopeful fan remarked: "Hope JP is back to stay!".
