Kris Marshall has shared his honest thoughts about Death in Paradise's lead detectives. The 52-year-old was the second actor to play Saint Marie's lead detective in the hit BBC show, taking over from Ben Miller in 2014. He starred as Humphrey Goodman for three series before passing the baton over to Ardal O'Hanlon. Thankfully, Kris didn't bid farewell to Humphrey forever, as he reprised the role for the spin-off Beyond Paradise, which premiered in 2023.

Similar to Guadeloupe, where Death in Paradise has been filmed since 2011, the coastal town of Looe in South East Cornwall has become a must-visit destination for fans, who often get the chance to watch Kris and his co-stars filming the series. In September 2025, Death in Paradise fan Mike Mitchell and his wife Liz headed down to the set to watch filming. There, he had a chance encounter with Kris, who cheekily suggested who the best detective on the show is.

Mike told us: "Last Summer we went down to Cornwall to watch them film Beyond Paradise. We saw a few scenes being shot. We'd only been in Looe for about two hours and we bumped into Kris Marshall walking down the street.

"We knew they were filming in that area but we were just walking down this road and he was coming towards us, so we stopped and had a little chat with him and we met a few other members of the cast."

He continued: "He was heading to set so he wasn't hanging around too much. But I did tell him that he was the third DI that we've met from Death in Paradise after Ralf Little and Don Gilet.

"He just turned around and said, 'Now you've met the best one.'"

Mike and Liz were also fortunate enough to meet Zahra Ahmadi, who has played DS Esther Williams on the show since it began in 2023.

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Mike added: "She was charming as anything. She was just walking off set so I asked for a picture and we had a little chat. When I said thank you for your time, she said, 'No. Thank you for your time! It was nice to meet you.'"

Their experience with everyone associated with the show has been everything the couple hoped for and more.

"They're all very polite," Mike added. "They're all lovely people. Everyone we've met in the cast and the crew, they're all superb."

Having visited Guadeloupe on three separate occasions and even appeared as extras on the show twice, Mike and Liz are familiar with various members of the cast and crew.

He described Selwyn Patterson star Don Warrington as "charming" and recalled how Ralf, 46, best known for playing Neville Parker, was extremely supportive and encouraging before they filmed as extras.