Yahoo News Death in Paradise bosses explain how "magical" Ben Miller cameo happened
Death in Paradise spoilers follow.
Death in Paradise recently aired scenes that saw DI Richard Poole return for a brief cameo – appearing as a figment of Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey's imagination.
Camille (Sara Martins) arrived in the Caribbean to visit her mother, who had been hospitalised after being attacked by a masked assailant, and took a moment of quiet on the beach, which is when DI Poole (Ben Miller) appeared to offer words of encouragement and support.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, executive producer Tim Key and Death in Paradise creator Robert Thorogood explained how they managed to bring Miller's character back to the show.
Related: Death in Paradise star Jason Manford shares behind-the-scenes photos following his guest appearance
"I think it's a really lovely moment," Key said. "It does respect the past. It's lovely to see them together again. But I don't think it outstays its welcome. It's a moment in an episode. It's a really sweet moment. And then the episode moves on – as does the show."
The pair mentioned that it took a while to figure out the best way to bring back DI Poole. Explaining that one idea was to bring him back through a series of flashbacks, they eventually settles on seeing DI Poole as a sort of ghost who's "just there in [Camille's] head".
Thorogood added: "It's magical... he's there, and then he's not there. As Tim says, of course he's not a ghost, because ghosts aren't real, so you have to try and address that. But we deliver all of the joy that a ghost might be able to give you."
Related: Death in Paradise's Joséphine Jobert "wasn't sure" about returning for series 10
Due to the ongoing complications surrounding the pandemic, Key and Thorogood thought they may have to cut the scene due to restrictions.
However, Key added: "All of us were determined to try to make it happen. And so was Ben. I thought Ben might just go, 'Nah, it's too much. I can't do it.' But Ben really wanted to do it. He was so up for it."
Death in Paradise continues on Thursday at 9pm on BBC One.
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