What is the Death in Paradise season 13 release date and is Don Warrington leaving as fans await the 100th episode?

The Death in Paradise season 13 release date is almost here and you might be worried about Don Warrington leaving as his interview about the 100th episode teases danger for Selwyn.

Many of us will be dreaming of swapping grey skies for glorious beaches and the BBC is here to help with the return of Death in Paradise. The long-running detective drama has amassed legions of fans over the years and Death in Paradise season 13 will kick off with the highly-anticipated 100th episode. After seeing many detectives come and go, DI Neville Parker remains at the helm of Saint Marie’s police force  - overseen, of course, by Commissioner Selwyn Patterson. 

However, the promotional interviews have teased that all might not be well in paradise for Selwyn leaving some of us fearing the worst. As anticipation builds, we have all the details about the Death in Paradise season 13 release date and whether actor Don Warrington is leaving the show.

What is the Death in Paradise season 13 release date? 

The Death in Paradise season 13 release date is Sunday 4th February and whilst the wait between season 12 and the new series might seem like an eternity, in reality it’s only a little over a year. The show will air at 9pm on BBC One, right after Call the Midwife season 13’s next episode. Episodes will also be available to stream via BBC iPlayer if you’d prefer to watch Death in Paradise at a time that suits you better.

Is Don Warrington leaving Death in Paradise? 

Anyone who’s watched the show since the very beginning has seen plenty of main characters come and go, mainly the lead detectives. For anyone wondering if Don Warrington will be leaving Death in Paradise the answer is we don’t know  - but the actor has teased that his character Commissioner Patterson’s life is in the balance after he’s shot in the 100th episode as he celebrates his 50th year of service.

Speaking to the BBC about the opening episode of Death in Paradise season 13, Don said, “It was exciting to shoot because I think it's an episode where we move away from the sort of conventional case, as it is a crime that involves everybody. Everybody is emotionally involved in solving it, given the victim is somebody they know.”

This will make for heart-wrenching viewing when Death in Paradise season 13 premieres but Don didn’t confirm whether Selwyn survives.

He said, “They have an emotional response that is different because normally, we don't know the victims, so, there's a detachment when dealing with them. There's a sense of jeopardy about this case which I think hopefully makes it exciting to watch. I suppose the big question is, will he make it or not?”

This might leave many fans fearing for the worst but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Selwyn will die and that Don Warrington is leaving the show. Don is a very high-profile and long-time member of the Death in Paradise cast and so we can hope that this means he won’t be wanting to leave the show just yet.

Shantol Jackson who plays DS Naomi Thomas has predicted that “the audience’s first reaction will be, ‘Oh my gosh, is Don leaving the show?’ and ‘Is the Commissioner actually going to die?’. She also suggested that it’s “kind of a thing where you never know when someone might go”. 

However, in the show’s history only one character who serves in the Saint Marie police force has been officially killed off - the first Detective Inspector, Richard Poole. This adds weight to the hope that Don isn’t leaving and Selwyn will pull through. As DI Neville Parker’s actor Ralf Little put it, there’s never been a “crime where every single character has an emotional stake in solving it” which will certainly give the “whole thing a new dynamic” either way.

All we know about Death in Paradise season 13 

Apart from the mystery over Selwyn Patterson’s fate in Death in Paradise season 13, the cast have also revealed that there is a lot in store for their characters personally this season. In the 2023 Christmas special fans were left surprised when DS Naomi Thomas kissed Officer Marlon Pryce at Selwyn’s Christmas party. The rule-following detective had been inspired by Neville’s free-spirited mum Melanie’s attitude to life. Marlon responded simply, “OK, what just happened?” and the two turned away, whilst Neville was surprised at what he just saw happen.

Commenting on how Naomi’s newfound desire to be more spontaneous and fun will develop in Death in Paradise season 13, actor Shantol said that Naomi will also be influenced by her colleague Darlene. 

“This year we'll see Naomi taking a lot of influence from Darlene as well, as she is trying to get herself out there more and make herself more available,” she said. “I feel like since the moment Naomi was introduced in the show, she's always been by the book and focused on work. We haven't really dived into her personal life, so I was very excited to go into that a bit. You'll see how she goes about it and her coping mechanisms.”

Viewers will get to see Naomi and Darlene go on a double date and Marlon will have a lot to contend with personally too. His actor Tahj Miles said that this series “his decisions are also going to affect the people that are close to him”. This means that Marlon will have “no choice” but to take other people’s opinions and feelings into consideration.  

“It’s difficult for him, especially when it could affect his career, a career that's been turned into his life almost in the last couple years,” Tahj added. “So, he has really hard decisions to make but at the end of the day, it's affecting people that he loves and genuinely cares about.”

Elsewhere in Death in Paradise season 13 Neville is continuing to try and get past how betrayed he was by “Sophie” in season 12. Neville fell in love with her before it emerged she had lied about her identity and was really a murderer who tried to frame the DI as part of a revenge plan. Since then he’s found it hard to trust and perhaps this series will see him find peace.

According to the BBC we can also expect the storylines in the new season of Death in Paradise to include a murder in a lift, a game of bingo that turns deadly, death during a black out and someone being poisoned at a cookery competition. Saint Marie mayor and bar owner Catherine Bordey will apparently also have to deal with her old friend becoming a suspect in a case too.

Death in Paradise season 13 starts at 9pm on BBC One on Sunday 4th February.