Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise star reveals what he misses ‘more than anything’ after quitting show
Ardal O'Hanlon used to play DI Jack Mooney on the BBC programme but left in 2020
Ardal O’Hanlon appeared on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh(Image: ITV screengrab)
Ardal O’Hanlon has told how he misses former colleague Don Warrington after his departure from Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise.
The comedian and actor portrayed DI Jack Mooney in the beloved BBC crime drama, departing in 2020 after a three-year stint, reports the Express.
He reflected on his experience during an appearance on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on Sunday (February 22), when Alan asked whether leaving the island and long-standing colleague Don, who portrays Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, had been “emotional”.
“He’s just brilliant, he’s brilliant,” said Ardal. “I miss him more than anything, actually. I loved Don and we’re still very good friends, but yeah that was kind of a bromance actually.”
Ardal O’Hanlon used to star in Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise(Image: ITV screengrab)
He continued: “It always starts off the new detective and you know very, very wary around the inspector but eventually the inspector softens by the end.”
Whilst the programme is set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie, filming takes place predominantly in Guadeloupe.
The star acknowledged he did “love it” but conceded it was “a commitment” as it required being away on location for months of the year.
The actor said he misses co-star Don Warrington(Image: BBC screengrab)
“I’m kind of in one way glad I don’t have to do it now because it’s like, it’s gruelling, but I look back at it very fondly,” he said. “It was just a great adventure apart from anything else, as well as being like a, you know, a challenging acting job.”
He also emphasised how special it was welcoming different actors into the cast every few weeks. “All these great great people… these people I adored,” he said.
“And then you’d also get the hot shots, the up-and-coming people who have gone on to Hollywood now. We got them raw.”
Ardal opened up on Alan Titchmarsh’s show(Image: ITV screengrab)
Ardal, who is also known for portraying Father Dougal McGuire in Father Ted, added: “Because you take great pride in the island, because I’ve been there for a few years and you get to love it and you can’t wait to show it off to them.
“So on the rare days off you’d bring them to some waterfall that only you know about or some boiling hot part of the sea like, right where the volcano heats the water, you know, that side of it I really, really loved.”
