Death In Paradise's Ralf Little warned 'your career is over' by his own mum

Death in Paradise star Ralf Little's mum told him his "career was over" when he decided to quit the hit BBC series last year. Ralf, 45, became part of the show in 2018 playing Detective Inspector Neville Parker, taking over from Ardal O'Hanlon.

But following four series he decided to walk away from the part, with Don Gilet's character Mervin Wilson taking on the main detective role. Ralf has now revealed that his mother became concerned about his professional prospects after he left the programme.

Speaking to The I, Ralf revealed: "About six months ago I went to visit her. My mum's done this my whole career - she's always worried about me."

READ MORE: Lulu makes desperate plea to Sharon Osbourne on live TV hours before Ozzy's funeral

READ MORE: Why the new Bonnie Blue documentary may be the worst thing I've ever seen on Channel 4

"She went: 'So, I've been thinking, now that your career's over you could go back to medical school this September and qualify in five years and the good news is you could still work till you're 75."

Ralf originally went to Manchester University to study medicine as a teenager. But he decided to drop out of his course at just 18 to become part of The Royle Family cast.

He played the put-upon younger sibling Antony in the sitcom, created by comedy legends Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. Ralf has since had a hugely successful acting career, appearing in shows such as Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

Ralf has spoken about how his role as Antony in The Royle Family resulted in him being pigeonholed as a "gawky" teenager in the TV world. Ralf Little, best known for his role in Death in Paradise, has opened up about his journey to becoming a leading actor.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I am incredibly grateful for my career. I have had a wonderful time and I'm having a really wonderful time now being able to be in the Caribbean for five months."

Reflecting on his career, he added: "But I've had a 20-year career and this is the first show I've actually been the legitimate lead in ... at age 40. Don't get me wrong, anyone's lucky to even have one, but it's taken a while to even get here."

He also speculated that his career might have taken a different path if not for being typecast as Antony from The Royle Family. He even considered a career in medicine, as he revealed in a piece for The Telegraph in 2021.

He recalled: "I actually started medical school in the same week that The Royle Family was first broadcast, in September 1998. That was my 'sliding doors moment'. I wouldn't say my career suddenly exploded, but casting directors were reaching out and asking for me."

However, he didn't sugarcoat the challenges of medical school, stating: "It's no picnic, medical school. From day one, the workload is extraordinary.

"By about the third week, I realised trying to juggle both medical school and auditioning wasn't sustainable and I thought it was time to make the decision once and for all: either decide to be an actor or really commit to medical school."