Jack Mooney

Detective Inspector Jack Mooney is a fictional character on the British–French crime drama television series Death in Paradise, portrayed by Ardal O'Hanlon.

Jack Mooney
Death in Paradise character
First appearance	Man Overboard – Part One (Series 6, Episode 5)
Last appearance	Pirates of the Murder Scene (Series 9, Episode 4)
Portrayed by	Ardal O'Hanlon
In-universe information
Occupation	Detective Inspector
Children	Siobhan Mooney
Nationality	Irish

Character

Mooney is portrayed as "friendly" and "unassuming", and an underestimated "genius detective".^[1] Ed Power for The Independent described the character of Mooney as a rarity amongst modern portrayals of detectives on television in that his "personal life is not a distracting mess".^[2]

Appearances

Mooney first appears in Man Overboard – Part One (Series 6, Episode 5), as a liaison officer assigned to DI Humphrey Goodman^[3] when a case brings them to England to track a suspect. In the course of the case Mooney is revealed to be a recent widower; his wife died a month ago, but he pretends the death was some time ago to stop people feeling sorry for him. After the case is solved, Goodman decides to stay in England with his new girlfriend, and Mooney accepts the offer to use Goodman's shack on Saint Marie for a holiday. When he assists the team in investigating a couple of murders on the island during his time there, Mooney accepts the offer to stay and becomes the new DI of Saint Marie.

A subplot in the next season follows Mooney's daughter Siobhan leaving the island for university in the United Kingdom.^[4]

Another subplot follows Mooney's romance with Anna (portrayed by Nina Wadia), a newly divorced traveller visiting Saint Marie.^[5]

Mooney's last appearance is in Pirates of the Murder Scene (Series 9, Episode 4), when he decides to return home to London with his daughter Siobhan.^[6]

Mooney makes brief appearances in the Return to Paradise episodes "R.I.P. Tide" and "Oh Mine Papa".

References

1. "Jack Mooney". BBC One. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
2. Power, Ed (9 January 2020). "The weird phenomenon of Death in Paradise". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
3. "Death in Paradise Profile: Jack Mooney". Alibi. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
4. Griffiths, Eleanor Bley. "Where has Siobhan gone? Here's why Ardal O'Hanlon's on-screen daughter has disappeared from Death in Paradise". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
5. Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (9 January 2020). "Death in Paradise newcomer Nina Wadia on love storyline with DI Jack Mooney: "For her it's instant"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
6. Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (30 January 2020). "Here's how Ardal O'Hanlon's DI Jack Mooney left Death in Paradise". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.