Death In Paradise star Don Gilet has opened up about playing DI Mervin Wilson ahead of the Christmas special of the BBC drama
20:56, 15 Dec 2025
It's been a year since actor Don Gilet made his entrance into the beloved BBC drama Death In Paradise as DI Mervin Wilson, and now the star is eagerly anticipating the 2025 festive special.
British Detective Mervin touched down on the island seeking answers surrounding his birth mother's death and has quickly won over audiences.
Don, 58, graced BBC's The One Show on Monday evening, joining fellow guests Ricky Gervais and Alex Scott to discuss the forthcoming Christmas episode, which presents the team with one of their most perplexing mysteries to date.
A victim is discovered deceased in a swimming pool on Saint Marie, yet the murder weapon was secured in a drawer back in England at the time of his death, leaving investigators utterly baffled.
Following a teaser clip, presenter Alex Jones shared with Don: "Now the thing is Don people absolutely love this show don't they? We've had lots of people get in touch already including Janice and she says 'I love Don as the new detective - can't wait for the Christmas special,'" reports Wales Online.
A visibly moved Don responded: "Oh thank you, thank you Janice. It's for you, thank you!"
Discussing stepping into the shoes of previous stars such as Ben Miller and Ralf Little as the newest detective, Don confessed to experiencing "pressure".
He revealed to Alex and co-host Roman Kemp: "I feel the pressure doing this. I've said this before, it feels like the second album, you know the first one went well, I was the replacement like a replacement Doctor Who and people have their favourites prior to that.
"So there's always this sense of 'well is he going to be as good as...' are people going to switch off, but luckily no one has switched off yet but you've got to come back and do it again and better so I'm not resting on my laurels.
"I do feel a bit pressure but it's an enjoyable pressure. I love coming back and doing more of the same but with something a bit extra."
Don then discussed his character Mervin's development, revealing that after initially feeling like he "didn't want to be here", Mervin was now settling in.
"There's been some draw, some familial draw that keeps him there now so aside from all the intrigue and the whodunit-ness about it he's got some kind of family to deal with which obviously I won't say too much about.
"But yeah there are reasons for him to stay there now and I'm very happy to be playing the personal family side to it as opposed to just getting the bad guy, the bad person (catching the murderer)."
Death In Paradise Christmas special is on BBC One on Sunday, December 28 at 8.30pm