Is Ralf Little's Neville about to quit Death In Paradise forever?
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Death In Paradise spoilers ahead.
Poor DI Neville Parker has been having more than a hard time of it of late on Death in Paradise, but it seems like he's finally hit breaking point and could now quit the show completely.
In a teaser for the season-12 finale (airing February 24), Neville, played by Ralf Little, was seen pulling the Commissioner (Don Warrington) aside and telling him he was ready to throw in the towel.
This is in no small part due to the revelation that his girlfriend Sophie is actually a killer, who has been deliberately targeting Neville the entire time she's been in the country.
Blaming him for her sister getting arrested for murder after a drugs deal went wrong back in their native Manchester, she had tracked Neville down and planned to completely ruin his career and life.
She nearly succeeded too, with Neville at one point getting arrested for the murder of criminologist David Cartwright before the truth came out.
Heartbroken and feeling like he's let down the detective squad, Neville was seen feeling more than a little sorry for himself at the end of the series's penultimate episode, with the team trying to make him feel better.
But the brief glimpse at next week's episode suggests that Neville is still feeling off his game when a murder takes place at a bar he's at – without him even noticing.
Spiralling into a serious case of self-doubt, Neville is beginning to doubt his abilities and question whether he should be a detective at all.
We still have another week to find out whether he does, in fact, leave Saint Marie, but rumours have been brewing all season that this could be Ralf's final bow as the hygiene-obsessed detective.
Little is the fourth actor to take on the role as the lead DI of the series – following Ben Miller's Richard Poole, Kris Marshall's Humphrey Goodman and Ardal O'Hanlon's Jack Mooney.
Each actor took on the role for around three seasons – Miller from season one to the start of season three, Marshall from the start of season three through to season six, O'Hanlon from mid-season six to mid-season nine, and Little from nine to 12.
So if he does decide to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, now would be a good time to jump.
Little has not done much to dispell the rumours, refusing to confirm or deny what lies ahead for his character during an Instagram Q+A at the beginning of season 12.
"No I can't [tell you] is the simple answer," he told his followers (via Hello). "Look, cards on the table, this happens every year and it doesn't mean anything. There's nothing to read into this either way.
"All of those talks and negotiations – not even negotiations, we aren't at that stage yet – it's not like you get signed on like a footballer, where you get signed [to] a five-year contract or a three-year contract or whatever."
He added: "This is what has happened in previous years. Once all those conversations have been had, then a decision is made. So no, no decision has been made yet but don't read into that. It doesn't mean anything."
Initially, it was believed he might be convinced to return to Manchester to be with Sophie, who was only given one month's permission to work remotely from Saint-Marie.
But now she's gone for good, who knows what lies ahead for the character?
Death in Paradise series 12 airs on Friday nights on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer. A spin-off, Beyond Paradise, premieres on Friday, February 24.
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