Don Gilet shines as Death in Paradise’s new lead sleuth – even if his first case makes no sense
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There are moments when this Christmas one-off, which tries to do too much at once, threatens to lose its footing like Santa slipping on a dodgy roof tile. History is made in BBC One’s latest Death in Paradise Christmas special, as Don Gilet becomes the first Black actor to play the lead role of a British police detective parachuted into the sleepy (and entirely fictional) Caribbean island of Saint Marie. But as he dons the droopy green sun hat of DI Mervin Wilson, he has his work cut out in a fun, feature-length instalment that tries to pull off several demanding tasks simultaneously.
![[Gilet as DI Mervin]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/19/14/497365.jpg)
Firstly, the episode must introduce DI Wilson as a fully rounded replacement for the departed Neville Parker (Ralf Little). Secondly, it has to serve up a distinctive dollop of Christmas cheer on a weekend when the primetime schedules heave under a dead weight of tinsel and season’s greetings. Oh, and it has to deliver a satisfying murder mystery with the inevitable loose ends tied up by the closing credits.
That’s a tall order – too tall perhaps. There are moments when this Christmas one-off threatens to lose its footing and tumble head over heels like Santa slipping on a dodgy roof tile. The good news is that Gilet is a great addition to the series. His phlegmatic, crotchety persona harks back to the OG Death in Paradise policeman abroad, Richard Poole (the harrumphing Ben Miller).
Poole was forever grumbling about life on a glorious tropical island. DI Wilson has some of that same Columbo-esque energy, complaining early on that visiting Saint Marie is “like stepping back in time”. But there’s deep sadness under that glum exterior, and it is revealed that he came to the island hoping to connect with his mother, whom he had never known. He also seems not to have any friends back in London – revealing to DS Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) that he always volunteered to work at Christmas because he didn’t have much else on.
