When we think of celebrities being paid to spend time in the Caribbean for work, it sounds pretty idyllic compared to the regular office job in London, especially during winter. However, it may not be as dreamy as we imagine. The Death in Paradise stars have revealed the worst thing about filming on the stunning French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. We're listening because right now we can't think of a downside...
Nina Wadia who plays Anna Masani in the hit show explained the scenery is not the problem, but the local bugs are. "Scolopendras are these really hideous insects," she said, and Shyko Amos, above, agreed, stating: "And they bite you, and they sting, and to kill them you need to use a hammer." If you're wondering what the insects look like, Nina provided a terrifying description: "It's like a centipede with scorpion bits - they're horrible! One ran over my leg and I screamed the place down." From the sounds of the robust creepy-crawly, we don't blame her!
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Executive Producer Tim Key, on the other hand, did not have such a negative description of scolopendras. "They are unpleasant but they're not dangerous - there's nothing there that is really dangerous," he said. While he said they are harmless and few and far between, he did agree that they can be incredibly painful. "Scolopendras are like a really bad bee sting - they really are unpleasant!" He continued: "Someone got stung by a tiny one and he said it was the most painful one he'd ever had." Just because they're not life-threatening doesn't mean you'd want to be in the vicinity of one!
Aside from dodging the bugs, many members of the cast have attested to the fact the humidity was another downside. Ardal O'Hanlon, who played DI Jack Mooney, recently said his goodbyes to the Saint Marie police department, but not before sharing his views on the heat. Speaking to HELLO!, he told us that the humidity is "off the charts", especially in the police station where many of the scenes are filmed. Joking about the conditions inside the station, he said: "It can be very tough, you literally go into a daze in there, you know you have to be so well prepared because you could actually collapse in minutes! I'm joking, I'm painting a very grim picture."
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He went on to mention the combination of the weather and wildlife makes for a challenging day-to-day work environment. As well as conserving energy throughout the day, Ardal said sleep was hugely important, but the local animals did not make it easy to feel well-rested. "You've got the crickets on full pelt, it gets dark at six o'clock. And then the frogs are worse than the crickets, so they just have this incessant racket, and then you've got the fan, because you couldn't sleep without a fan." He continued by stating there are "wild dogs everywhere who are chasing the cocks and this is all night long every night, then you get up in the morning you have to fight off the mosquitoes."
However, filming in the Caribbean also has its perks! The 54-year-old Irish actor finished by stating: "Having said that, when you get up in the morning and you suddenly see the volcano behind the city ocean and the pretty little village you go to work with a smile on your face."
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