Death in Paradise star explains "deranged" appearance

"Somebody said I looked like a kind of deranged Jack Nicholson."

By George Lewis

27 Dec 2022

les dennis as danny sheridan, death in paradise christmas special

BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon

Death in Paradise star Les Dennis has explained his “deranged” appearance in the BBC detective show.

The television icon guest-starred as a medium in last night’s (December 26) Christmas special, sporting a completely different look in the process.

“I suppose it was the black hair of Danny Sheridan, somebody said I looked like a kind of deranged Jack Nicholson,” he told RadioTimes. “I was pleased with that because it means I'm inhabiting a role and they're interested to see who that character is.

kiera lester as alicia mccoy, les dennis as danny sheridan, death in paradise christmas special

BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon

“At first I didn't realise they were going to make my character look so different. On the first day I was thinking, 'Is this right?' And then when I saw what they did, the make-up department were just brilliant, I thought, 'Yeah, this is him. This is definitely him. This is Danny Sheridan,’” he added.

The special, which precedes the upcoming 12th series, was recently previewed by stars Ginny Holder and Tahj Miles, with the pair stating their hopes for further festive episodes in the future.

“The Christmas special was phenomenal last year, but this one just takes it to a whole new level. I think it would be great if the Christmas special were something that happened every year,” Holder told Digital Spy and other press. “The murder in the story makes me want to cry just thinking about it… There's a beautiful family tie that comes around.”

shantol jackson, ralf little, death in paradise christmas special

BBC / Red Planet Pictures / Denis Guyenon

Miles, who plays Marlon Pryce on the show, expanded by saying: “We've been doing the regular show for 12 years now and it gets better every single year. This is only the second Christmas special and we've already upped the level compared to last year.

“It's a really personal story. Christmas is a time for getting together as a family. The main theme of the story is if you're watching it as a family, the story is going to make you feel even more impacted as a family from start to finish,” he added.

Death in Paradise series 12 begins on January 6, 2023. A spin-off, Beyond Paradise, is in production.