Death in Paradise series 12 still has plenty of twists and turns in store for fans.

This was recently teased by executive producer Tim Key during a chat with RadioTimes, who said of the episodes yet to air: "It's going to be interesting. Everything in this series is going in directions that people won't expect. I think that's a fair thing to say."

As far as this week's visit to the idyllic Saint Marie goes, the drama continues to swerve DI Neville Parker in favour of Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, who'll gradually get to know his long-lost daughter Andrina, while the team investigate the murder of an ex-children's home resident.

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Since the twelfth series premiered in the New Year, Death in Paradise viewers have grown concerned for the future of Ralf Little's Neville.

Previously, unsure of how to proceed with a particular case, he contacted his pal and ex-colleague Andrew Buckley, a fraud specialist. Andrew managed to track down Cheryl Horner's true identity, unveiling her as the con artist Darianna Green, with this tip helping Neville in cracking the case.

However, this old contact seemed agitated while speaking to Neville over video call, and subsequently arrived on the island in secret.

sophie chambers and ralf little, death in paradise, season 2
BBC

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"Think she was a [set-up] and Andy might now be out following up on that!! Poor Neville. Think he's caught up in something big," theorised one Twitter user.

The ominous arrival led some fans to believe that this may be setting up Little's exit and introducing the potential new Inspector. However, given Key suggested things are going to be unexpected for viewers, perhaps this is all a red herring.

If he does end up leaving though, at least Little won't have to shave anymore specifically for the character.

Death in Paradise series 12 airs on Friday nights on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer. A spin-off, Beyond Paradise, is in production.

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Dan Seddon

Reporter, Digital Spy 

Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment

In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.