Reason Kris Marshall was forced to apologise for Death in Paradise remarks

03 March 2024 , 21:00

1142     0

Death in Paradise star Kris Marshall sparked backlash over comments he made in a resurfaced interview about quitting the BBC show (Image: ITV)

Kris Marshall's comments about Death in Paradise have raised eyebrows.

Kris was on the show between 2014 and 2017 and recently spoke to Lorraine Kelly about why he left, sharing: "The thing is, after doing four great years on Guadeloupe, the island where we filmed Death in Paradise, I realised that I really had to get my son to school. He was becoming a bit too Caribbean, he refused to wear shoes and would only drink coconut water and eat pineapple."

Kris went on: "He was very good on the beach, but not very good with Maths and English so I decided it was time to get him back into school. Six months later, I'm standing on a film set in a car park in Dagenham at four o'clock in the morning thinking 'Have I made the right decision?'"

EXCLUSIVE: BBC Death In Paradise first look as fan favourite character makes huge return after viewer demand

Kris was on the show between 2014 and 2017 (BBC/Red Planet Pictures/Denis Guyenon)

After his appearance on Lorraine, Death in Paradise fans rushed to Twitter to complain about Kris' comments, with one person writing: "Did Kris Marshall just say his son was becoming too Caribbean and then just reel off a bunch of stereotypes about eating pineapple and not wearing shoes?" Another added: "I won't lie, thought that was really weird."

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

Kris issued an apology after the 2020 interview, telling HELLO!: "In an interview I did last year, I attempted to convey how much my family and I loved our time during the four wonderful years we made our home on Guadeloupe, and how hard it was for us all to return to Britain.

"However, I expressed part of this in an uneducated and poor manner and in doing so, I unintentionally hurt people I care about and caused offence to others. For this, I am deeply sorry. In my naive use of words, I propagated negative cultural stereotypes, which was offensive and insensitive. I now understand the damage this type of ignorant language, when used by a privileged white man like myself, can have.

"I remain genuinely remorseful for the hurt and damage this has caused and am committed to educating and expressing myself more appropriately and respectfully moving forward."

Kris and his family relocated to Guadeloupe during his time on the BBC show and settled back in the UK after his role in the murder mystery drama concluded. Kris replaced the original lead detective, Richard Poole, played by Ben Miller, with Ardal O'Hanlon joining Death in Paradise in 2017 when Kris left the role.

Charlotte McIntyre