"Death in Paradise": DI Richard Poole Quiz

Answer:

The DI of Saint Marie in the first episode of season 1, Charlie Hulme (played by Hugo Speer), was murdered in an apparently locked and entry-proof room at a party. Unwillingly, DI Richard Poole is sent to replace his predecessor and solve his murder. An additional uncomfortable aspect of this is that Richard has to live in his predecessor's cabin, which is also full of the victim's belongings!

Richard Poole appears at first to be highly unsuitable for his new job. He hates the tropics and prefers cool weather, full suits, and hot cups of tea to sand and surf. During his first case, he also arrests a mysterious woman, who actually turns out to be DS Camille Bordey (played by Sara Martins).

Unfortunately, DI Richard Poole was not well-liked in England, probably due to his fastidious habits and lack of humor. The police force in England was glad to send him to Saint Marie! It was supposed to be a temporary posting, but it soon became clear that Richard was going to be stuck on the island for much longer. In addition, he lost his luggage on the way to the island, adding to his discomfort. The police on Saint Marie also find it hard to get along with Richard at first, particularly Camille Bordey. In one interchange, they both say "I can't work with him/her" at the same moment! By the time Richard solves the case of DI Charlie Hulme, however, he has become part of the team on Saint Marie, as much as he still wants to return to England.

In season 1 episode 6, while Camille is away in Paris, Richard becomes ill with tropical fever, and a murder is committed on Saint Marie. This means that a new officer has to be sent for to lead the case, and she soon arrives, in the form of DS Angela Young (played by Shirley Henderson). Officers Dwayne and Fidel quickly discover that they miss Richard since Young is highly unpleasant and incompetent! Richard is found sick in his cottage, but Camille's mother Catherine soon takes charge, giving him large amounts of chicken soup, which he finds disgusting. Fortunately, however, he soon becomes at least well enough to solve the case and to teach Young a lesson along the way.

Ben Miller played DI Richard Poole throughout the first and second seasons of "Death in Paradise", but had to leave the show after his character's murder in episode 1 of season 3 for a variety of reasons. He found the climate simply too hot, much as his character did; his family was also unable to join him for filming, so he left the show to rejoin them. He was replaced by actor Kris Marshall, playing the role of DI Humphrey Goodman. Born on February 24, 1966, Ben Miller began his career in comedy as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong & Miller; with Alexander Armstrong, he starred in the shows "Armstrong & Miller" (1997-2001) and "The Armstrong & Miller Show" (2007-2010). He also played Rowan Atkinson's assistant in the comedy spy film "Johnny English" (2003); the character recurs in the 2018 film "Johnny English Strikes Again". Miller has many other acting credits, including in the 2020 series "Bridgerton" and in the series "Primeval" (2007-2011).