Ben Miller has opened up on being ‘cancelled’ and how it can often be a worry for him
Ben Miller has opened up on being ‘cancelled’ and how it can often be a worry for him(Image: ITV)
Death In Paradise star Ben Miller has shared his honest take on being “cancelled”.
The 60-year-old, who previously played Detective Inspector Richard Poole in the popular BBC series, has expressed his thoughts and concerns about social media and how things can suddenly get out of hand. Talking to Radio Times about his show, Austin, which is now in its second series, the star spoke openly about his worries.
Ben was asked: “In Austin, which is back for a second series, you play a children’s author who has been ‘cancelled’ — is that something you worry about?”
The actor replied: “I think we all worry about it a bit, don’t we? Even somebody who’s not on TV who puts a post on their social media takes a very small risk that it’s going to cause a complete Twitter [X] storm.
“Social media is set up to produce that kind of situation, so whatever you put on social media is basically chum to the sharks that can’t stand your guts.”
As well as his cancellation fears, Ben was asked about his role in Death In Paradise and whether he would ever return for a prequel. DI Richard Poole was killed off at the beginning of Series 3 in 2014.
Sharing his thoughts on a potential return he said: “If I wasn’t so ruddy old, I could play him in a prequel! I loved the character and I loved the show.
“It just came at a slightly unfortunate time in my life. But I do really miss that character.
“And funnily enough, Rob Thorogood [the Paraverse creator and writer] has carried on writing stories for Richard Poole, which is quite fun, so that’s a nice way to live the character again.”
Ben’s time on Death in Paradise came to an end in the series three opener, Death of a Detective. The actor later explained that he decided to leave because filming in Guadeloupe meant spending long stretches away from his family, making it difficult to balance work and home life
Since then, there have been several other detectives that have taken on his role of uncovering truths behind the many murders on the fictional island of Saint Marie. In the most recent series, actor Don Gilet plays Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson.
Death In Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer