Kris Marshall has revealed he will be quitting his lead role in Death In Paradise after four years on the popular BBC programme. The actor, who played Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman in the drama, will be replaced by Ardal O'Hanlan, who is best known for his work in Father Ted. Speaking on Thursday's Good Morning Britain, Kris explained: "It's sad that the news has been leaked. But it's one of those things. I've done four years, it's been an absolutely amazing show, I've loved it, but it's time to move on and give someone else a chance to enjoy some sun."
The My Family star, who has two young children with wife Hannah Dodkin, admitted that he is giving up his starring role to spend more time with his loved ones. "For the previous years I've been able to take my family with me," he said. "But we had a daughter this time last year, and so bringing her and my son - and he's about to start school - it all became a bit of a juggling mission, so that was really the reason behind it. So this last series I did do on my own, which was quite hard."
Kris Marshall has revealed he will be quitting his lead role in Death In Paradise
Looking forward to his next venture, Kris has revealed his delight to pass the reigns to Ardal. "We meet him actually for the first time tonight, so he arrives on the scene as our colleague in London," he continued. "He's fantastic and I'm sure he'll really run with it."
See casts who come together years later
Kris first arrived on the show as DI Humphrey Goodman in 2014 during the third season, he was brought in to solve the murder of his predecessor, DI Richard Poole (played by Ben Miller). In a statement, Ardal commented: "I am delighted to be joining Death in Paradise and exploring what’s made Mooney up and leave London for a life in the Caribbean. I've already had a taste of filming in Guadeloupe and can’t wait to get back."