An extra who featured in Death in Paradise opened up about their experience working on the beloved BBC show – including meeting its stars.
Extras, also known as supporting artists, are utilised in scenes needing a crowd, often without lines, to help add to the realism.
In 2022, Mike Mitchell and wife Liz first travelled to Guadeloupe, where Death In Paradise is filmed – where they happened to encounter the show’s crew.
Upon this discovery, Mike decided to ask whether it would be possible for him and Liz to be used as extras.
He told The Express: ‘I asked if we could be extras and they said, “Of course you can.”
‘So we went back four months later and we were extras. We got to meet all the cast.’
Mike Mitchell and wife Liz aren’t only Death In Paradise superfans who’ve visited Guadeloupe three times, they’ve also been extras on the show
The couple discussed their experiences meeting Ralf Little and Don Warrington (pictured) on the BBC show’s set
Death In Paradise launched in October 2011 and has become a firm favourite among viewers ever since
Mike shared: ‘We’ve met Don Warrington. Don used to come and join us for a drink in the bar at the hotel in the evening.
‘He’d go to the hotel and have a meal, on his own usually, and then he’d come to the bar where we were sitting. We’d sit and drink rum together and tell stories.’
The couple also interacted with Ralf Little, who starred as DI Neville Parker from 2020 until leaving in 2024.
Mike recounted: ‘Ralf came and stood next to us and he said, “Good luck. I hope it goes well.”
‘He was very encouraging. Afterwards we all just had a bit of a chit-chat.’
The couple drove into Deshaies on their final day and watched filming take place outside the iconic police station.
As well as Ralf, they also crossed paths with Shantol Jackson (DS Naomi Thomas), Ginny Holder (Officer Darlene Curtis) and Tahj Miles (Officer Marlon Pryce).
And of this group, they stayed in touch with one cast member in particular.
Mike said: ‘We stayed in touch with Ginny, she still messages us now. They’re all really nice people.’
They later returned to Guadeloupe for a third visit in 2024, this time seeing current lead actor Don Gilet (DI Mervin Wilson).
Mike and Liz also came across Élizabeth Bourgine, who plays Catherine Bordey in the hit series.
It comes as Mike previously broke down the differences between the real-life island and what fans see on the popular BBC show.
The murder-mystery series has been a hit since it first aired in 2011 and introduced TV viewers to the fictional island of Saint Marie.
Guadeloupe has subsequently seen a boom in tourism thanks to the show regularly pulling in millions of viewers in the UK alone.
He told The Express: ‘When you go there, you won’t find street parties and dancing on the street or spicy food. That’s just for Saint Marie alone, not for Guadeloupe.
‘That’s the biggest difference between on screen and actually being there. Other than that, everything is what you see – just beautiful.’
The show is only filmed for a set number of months every year, the island welcomes guests year-round, giving them a chance to get up close and personal with filming locations like Catherine’s Bar when they aren’t in use.
Mike first became a fan of Death in Paradise during lockdown and upon one of his three visits, the show’s crew showed him around some of the filming locations – and he and his partner found others ‘by accident’.
Mike has said that he’s become so familiar with the island that he can actually spot when a character is heading in the wrong direction on the show
The show’s cast is currently led by Don Gilet as DI Mervin Wilson and Shantol Jackson as DS Naomi Thomas
Mike explained that he has seen several recognisable locations including the Botanical Gardens, the zoo, and a lighthouse that appears in the show.
He even had the chance to visit the site of a Death in Paradise murder which took place in a radio station.
Mike added: ‘We found the commissioner’s office, which is not in Deshaies, it’s about 30 minutes down the road. We found a lot of locations just by accident.
‘We looked for the radio station and the lighthouse, just to give us something to do on the day out because it’s beautiful to look at.
‘The one thing about Death in Paradise is there’s no smoke and mirrors. What you see on the screen is what is actually there.’
Furthermore, Mike revealed that he’s become so familiar with the island that he can actually spot when a character is heading in the wrong direction on the show – and he knows how long it realistically takes to walk from one spot on the fictional island to another.
He explained that most of the filming happens on the west side of Guadeloupe, too, in keeping with the show’s paradise name, as the east side is marshy and less picturesque.
Meanwhile, the latest series sees new sergeant Mattie Fletcher – played by Catherine Garton – join the police team’s line-up.
Speaking ahead of the series, the actress opened up about her new role and shared how much she loved Guadeloupe, the filming location for the fictional Saint Marie.
‘I didn’t quite know what to anticipate, then it exceeded any expectations I could have had. I love the island. Guadeloupe is like a postcard. It’s quite unreal’.
‘Every time I walked out I was like “this exists, wow!” It’s absolutely stunning. Everyone’s nice. I love the culture. The food’s great’.
Gushing over her character, Catherine branded her ‘tenacious’: She’s really fun to play.
‘She’s sassy, but she’s like your big sister who will tell you what’s what, but you can also come to her if you need to’.
