“I’m kind of a deranged Jack Nicholson”: Les Dennis on guest starring in the Death in Paradise Christmas Special

The beloved detective series Death in Paradise ends 2022 with its second Christmas special, out on Boxing Day, with season 12 to kick off in the new year. This time, things take a more supernatural turn involving possible ghosts, uncovering dark connections to old cases and celebrity mediums. The cast, consisting of Don Warrington, Ralf Little, Ginny Holder, Elizabeth Bourgine, Tahj Miles and Shantol Jackson, is back, alongside a host of guest appearances.

Acting veteran Les Dennis guest stars as Danny Sheridan in the Christmas special, a celebrity medium who has lost his spark and is looking for ways to reignite the dying flames of his career. Dennis is known for his stand-up comedy and multiple theatre credits, including his current role as Grandad in Only Fools and Horses. The Upcoming and other press caught up with the actor to discuss hair and make-up for Danny, celebrating 50 years in the industry, the heat in filming Death in Paradise and his friendship with Warrington.

What can fans expect from this Christmas special and from your character?

For one thing, it’s extended to 90 minutes. It’s a Christmas ghost story involving a little case of Selwyn’s – Don Warrington – that comes back to haunt him. I play Danny Sheridan who bills himself as a celebrity medium. He gets involved in the case after the murder of a true crime podcaster. He claims to be in contact with the missing child from the past. It’s a lovely character to play – he’s cheesy, he lives on the island, he has a big villa, so we filmed in a beautiful location overlooking the bay. I had a great time playing him and most of my scenes were with Ginny Holder who plays Darlene, and of course with Neville Parker as Ralf, and also with Don who I knew from the past as well. It’s a dream role because you go out for two weeks to the Caribbean, what’s not to like? Every actor wants to be a guest in Death in Paradise.

How did this role come about? Was it something that you sought out or did they approach you?

They approached me and my agent said, “They’re interested, would you like – ” and I said, “Yes please!”. Of course, you want to do a lovely job like that, to go and spend two weeks [in the Caribbean]. I had some days off but I didn’t have a car and the hotel was kind of difficult to get to places from. You couldn’t just walk into the village or town around. I spent my time walking along the beach, reading on some lounge and going for the odd dip in the sea to keep cool. On the days that we were working, it was challenging because the actors on that show have to look like they’re cool, but we are working in intense heat. Before a scene, they’re putting shammy leathers on your head and around your neck and making sure that you’re not sweating. Then when the take happens, you’ll look cool and fine, but then in between, it can get pretty hot.

When the guest cast was announced for the Christmas Special, there were a lot of comments about how you looked unrecognisable. What did you make of all the hype about it?

I was really surprised by it because at the moment, I’ve got a full moustache on for Grandad in Only Fools and Horses. When I play a different character, I will sometimes change the way I look. But I suppose it was the black hair of Danny Sheridan – that I’m kind of a deranged Jack Nicholson, I think. How can you get more deranged than Jack Nicholson anyway? I was pleased with that because it means that I’m inhabiting the role and they’re interested to see who that character is.

Did the transformation take long to put together and was it a lot to maintain as well?

I didn’t have a hair dye that was permanent. They would do it in the morning so I would need to be in make-up for about an hour and a half. Literally, when I finish the end of the day, I would have to go home and shower that out because it was very dark. I don’t know what they were using – it was kind of oil-based I think, and it was tricky to get out every night. I had to go and shower before I could dive into the pool. Occasionally, the sea first as the saltwater got it out. 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? Then when I saw what they did – the make-up department were just brilliant – I thought, “This is him. This is definitely – this is Danny Sheridan”.

This series has been going on for a very long time and has a huge cast of actors that have come and gone over the years. Was it hard assimilating into that?

My first scene was probably my biggest scene on the day and I was very nervous about going in and being with all these people who were – absolutely as you say – already regulars. I mean, it’s hot, for one thing. You’re filming in heat and you’re doing the scene that you think, “I’ve got to get this right, I’ve got to get this right” because I had a lot of the dialogue in it. I was a little nervous. But the cast was so welcoming. It wasn’t just that we would film in the day and then they’d all go back to their homes. We all kind of met up in the evenings and socialised. A lovely, delightful job to do, and I only had two weeks there. I think they had the whole summer and so I was very envious when I left and came back home.

Did you do a lot of improv and how much of a hand did you have in shaping the character of Danny?

No, it was all written. The writers had done a great job with him and it’s not a show where you are encouraged to improvise. It’s almost an Agatha Christie-like plot, isn’t it? The show’s every week, there’s always that feeling of who’s done it, whether there is going to be another murder and what’s going to happen. It’s very structured and I kept within that structure, and I enjoy that. I don’t do stand-up anymore but when I used to do stand-up, of course, I had the ability to improvise and do what I wanted. But when you’re working with a group of actors, it’s very important that you stay within the parameters of the script and the way the scene is set up. Ruth Carney is a brilliant director. She did a great job and was so encouraging and welcoming to the newbies.

Your first scene – your biggest scene with Ralf – did they give you any advice on it? What was it like working with the team?

I think you just got to get on and do it. Ruth and I would talk about where Danny was in his life. She would say, “Look, he’s had success and there are posters of his success all over his villa, but his success is waning now so he’s looking for something to reignite his career and he’s got a little bit of desperation about him there”. She would encourage me with that and thinking about that. But when you get into the scene, it made me realise, don’t bump into the furniture. I can’t say how lovely a job it was. I envy all those guys who are there regularly. But they say it gets tough – they’ve got to get through the whole summer, away from home and in that intense heat, working six days a week. It looks more glamorous than it is but I loved it.

Throughout the filming of this Christmas Special, did you grow close to any of the other cast members?

They were all absolutely lovely. Ginny was lovely, Ralf was welcoming, and I know Don and his partner, Paula – I would kind of go to their villa and see them. I haven’t worked with Don before; I’ve always been a big fan. We’ve met at theatre opening nights but never actually spent as much time as we did on the show. Don and I have talked about keeping up but he has been out there and I’ve been down here in London working on something else. We’ll catch up soon, I think.

Given that you’re playing a medium, did you speak to any mediums, and have you sought out any mediums in the past just for your own personal curiosity?

No. I have a friend who does that and sometimes she will say, “Oh, this might be happening”. Another friend of my wife said, “I see something for Les coming up which is the nation’s favourite grandad” and here I am, playing Grandad in Only Fools and Horses. So, I’m open to things like that – to people who have a connection.

This is the second Christmas Special of Death in Paradise. Why do you think we enjoy stories like these at this time of the year, and will you be watching this special alongside your family when it comes out?

This will be out on Boxing Day and in the past, on Boxing Day – even still – we’re flooded with adverts for holidays for going away to a beautiful location. I think it’s that – the fact that you’ve got this story that is Christmassy, but you’ve also got these wonderful locations that make you think, “Oh, maybe the Caribbean is the place for me next year”. I absolutely will be sitting down. As I say, I’m playing Grandad in Only Fools and Horses and we get Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. Boxing Night will be my kind of little evening to sit with the family and watch that before I have to head back down to London to go back on stage as Grandad.

You mentioned stand-up before and that you haven’t done it in quite some time. Why have you moved away from it? Have you got any plans to revisit that, and what other plans do you have for 2023?

My career’s just gone a different way. I’m 70 next year and two years ago – during the pandemic – I celebrated 50 years of me being in the business. We were going to do a tour with Phil McIntyre – who produces Only Fools and Horses – called 50 Years of Being Les Dennis. But because of the pandemic, it didn’t happen. I’m thinking now that maybe, 70’s a good point to go, “Right, let’s have a retrospective and maybe do a theatre tour”. I’m talking to people, it’s something that is definitely on the cards, and it’s something I’m thinking about. I finish Only Fools and Horses on the 7^th January and then I’m going straight away to one of my favourite theatres. I haven’t actually worked it but I have visited the Octagon theatre in Bolton. I’m playing opposite Mina Anwar in a classic play, Spring and Port Wine. It was written by Bill Naughton who wrote Alfie and The Family Way. This is a wonderful classic story that’s set in Bolton so I’m going to get working on my Bolton accent. It’s a wonderful part. I play Rafe Crompton; this kind of disciplinarian father in the 60s who’s trying to keep his young kids in line at the time that they’re seeing this explosion of music and culture in Bolton. I’m looking forward to that.

If you could come back as a different character or in a flashback sequence, would you come back to work in Death in the Paradise again, and would you like to play more detective-type stories and characters?

Always – absolutely! I would love to be involved. But we’ll see what happens to Danny by the end of the episode on Boxing Day. I’m always open to anything. I suppose I’m getting to be a bit old to be a detective. But having said that, David Jason as Frost was an older detective. I love that my career has become so diverse. This time last year, I was playing Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore for the English National Opera. When things come in for me, I look at them and think, “Is that something I’ve done before? Is this something I can bring something to?”. I’m always excited; you never know what’s around the corner with this business. Sometimes it’s feast or famine, and then you think there’s nothing happening, and then three things, like buses, will come along at once. I’m very, very lucky to have such a diverse career and I wouldn’t rule out being a detective. Who knows?

Mae Trumata

Death in Paradise Christmas Special is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 26^th December 2022 and Season 12 launches on 6^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for Death in Paradise season 12 here: