Celebrity
Death in Paradise’s Don Warrington on family, his co-stars and why the show is such a hit
Although Don Warrington first became famous playing student Philip in Rising Damp, opposite Leonard Rossiter and Frances de la Tour, in many people’s eyes he’s now synonymous with the long-running hit Death in Paradise. But the prospect of starring in a show that attracts so much interest and recently racked up its 100th episode seemed unlikely when it launched in 2011.
Don, 72, who plays police commissioner Selwyn Patterson, is one of only two actors (along with Elizabeth Bourgine, who plays cafe owner Catherine) to survive from day one, and neither were sure they would ever return to Guadeloupe, once the eighth and final episode of that first series had been completed.
‘Back then, we were totally in the dark about future plans,’ says Don. ‘We didn’t even know if there was going to be a second series. To get to 100 episodes is a complete shock, a great one but still a shock. It’s a remarkable milestone and it’s not something that happens a lot in television.’
Don reckons obvious ingredients like stunning landscapes and cunning storylines play their part in the success of Death in Paradise, but doesn’t pretend to have the complete answer.
‘If we all knew what the key was to making successful dramas or comedies they’d get made all the time! I just think there’s a chemistry about Death in Paradise, a combination of factors, rather than one thing which makes it so successful.’
Don, along with the rest of the regular cast, spends six months each year filming the thriller in the Caribbean, with his wife and sons among the visitors to the island paradise.
‘Why wouldn’t they want to come out and see me?’ he asks, smiling. ‘It’s warm, it’s welcoming – it’s a holiday for them!’
His actor son, Jacob, has even had a role in the show, although not a scene with his dad, while Don’s other son Archie is a comedian and Olivier Awardnominated screenwriter, with writing credits on shows such as Sky drama Intergalactic under his belt.
However, his father wasn’t sure Archie would make a success of comedy when he announced his intention to try stand-up.
‘I looked at him and said, “But I don’t find you funny!” Then I went to see him on stage – with fear in my heart, I admit – and he really made me laugh,’ says Don.
‘Until then he’d been hanging around the house, mumbling to me and going out with his friends, and suddenly there he was in full bloom. I was amazed, relieved, delighted – and very proud!’
It’s a little late for New Year’s resolutions, but Don has his own version for when he returns to the Caribbean to film series 14 of Death in Paradise in April.
‘I’m going to be friendlier towards members of the publ
