BBC Death in Paradise star admits ‘I felt like a failure' after show left him ‘in limbo'

Wales Online

9 hours ago

BBC Death in Paradise star admits 'I felt like a failure' after show left him 'in limbo'
Ralf Little starred as DI Neville Parker in Death is Paradise, almost two decades after rising to stardom as Anthony Royle in classic sitcom the Royle Family
Ralf Little says he was 'in limbo' after the Royle Family became a hit
(Image: BBC / Red Planet / Denis Guyenon)
BBC Death in Paradise star Ralf Little 'felt like a failure' after he took a series of bar jobs while his acting career was 'in limbo'. Ralf was cast as teenager Antony Royle in hit sitcom the Royle Family in 1998.
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While the role catapulted Ralf into the spotlight, he says it took a 'few months' before he adjusted to his newfound fame. During that time he says he would attend auditions and even took a number of other jobs with his then girlfriend.
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On The Two Pints Podcast with fellow Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star Will Mellor, Ralf admits he struggled with both bar jobs he took on after landing his breakout role. He made the revelation after Will asked if he had ever had a 'normal' job.
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Ralf, 45, replied: 'I had two normal jobs. I did one for two weeks and went f**k this, this is awful. When I was 18 we filmed the first Royle Family and it had come out, but there was a few months before the gears of reality sort of clicked into place where I was in limbo.
'Suddenly I had to be brought into auditions. I was alright, I'd saved some money and was going to be okay for a little while, but I had a girlfriend at the time.
Ralf Little starred as DI Neville Parker
(Image: BBC)
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'I was 18, she was 17, and she worked as a waitress at the local Brewer's Fayre and basically, for moral support, because I was bored during the day when she was at work, I said, 'I'll get a job at the Brewer's Fayre, I'll work behind the bar/wait' so I was a waiter for two weeks at the Brewer's Fayre and I hated it. Doing a real job sucks.'
Ralph however says he quit the job after just three shifts. He went on to explain that his girlfriend then decided to take on a job at the home ground of Bolton Wanderers - then known as the Reebok Stadium - prompting Ralf to follow.
He continued: 'I did two home games as a barman in the players' lounge at the Reebok Stadium. You'd have thought it was cool but I'll tell you this, Premier League players don't tip.
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'I got one, occasionally I'd get, 'Round that up' and someone has paid 95p for a glass of Coke, so I'd get 5p. Very occasionally I'd get a fiver.'
Ralf says he started to feel 'weird' working behind the bar when the Royle Family exploded in popularity. He explained: 'The Royle Family had come out at this point and it felt very awkward working behind that bar.
Ralf rose to fame on the Royle Family
(Image: (c) BBC 1998 photo by Matt Squires)
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'Occasionally, very occasionally, I would get recognised. And this is that weird thing where people go, 'God why aren't you working anymore', from 18 years old I'm working behind the bar and I've come in and everyone is like, 'Oh this is the biggest show on TV, why are you working behind a bar?'
'I wasn't embarrassed to be doing an honest job but when people come and ask you in that tone of voice like, 'Why are you such a failure?' [That's what] It felt like.'
Ralf starred in the Royle Family for 22 of the show's 25 episodes. In 2020 he was cast as DI Neville Parker in Death in Paradise, remaining on the show until 2024.
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He will be back on screens on Saturday Kitchen from BBC One at 10am. He will be joining presenter Matt Tebbutt as well as chefs Sabrina Ghayour and Jack Stein.