Death in Paradise's Ralf Little electrocutes 'traumatised' co-star as he begs for help

Former Death in Paradise star Ralf Little delivered multiple electric shocks to Will Mellor as he begged him to stop and howled in pain. The giggling actor confessed: "I enjoy it so much!", while entertaining fans onstage as his Two Pints Live show arrived at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall.

Some might have wondered whether Will's reaction was staged for dramatic effect, but Ralf assured the audience that the device he was using was completely real - something his management subsequently confirmed to Express.co.uk. The pair had been playing an on-stage version of Catchphrase, which they'd playfully branded "Snatchphrase" in a nod to the sexual content of some of that evening's jokes.

Will dressed up in a bright yellow jumpsuit for the show, which secretly concealed an electrode patch on his skin. Ralf warned the audience that he could activate the electrical current remotely via a device - and that if the audience were unable to guess who or what Will was doing an impression of within 20 seconds, he would get zapped.

"If you don't get it, it's [Will's] fault, so I think he should be electrocuted!" he explained. The first time he pressed the button, he yelped and spasmed as he begged: "Turn it off! It's tingling, man! Snot's coming out of my lungs!"

He added: "I'm not okay - I'm traumatised!" before appealing to the audience to quickly guess correctly so he didn't need to endure any more brutal "forfeits". Inevitably, the shocks did happen again - and he exploded, yelling: "Don't you dare! I've had enough. You've gone too far tonight, you f*****g knob!"

Fortunately, Ralf was merely using a low-voltage TENS machine which, despite delivering intense tingling to the muscles, can cause no harm to the person receiving the shocks.

TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, and the devices can even be used in pain management, as they are thought to block or override pain signals from the brain.

The pulse rate and frequency can be controlled by the wearer, and they can help with anything from labour twinges during childbirth to arthritis, although some argue that the devices are ineffective.

Ralf admitted they'd decided to test out the "electric shock machine" on a "whim" before eventually incorporating it into their stage show.

He then played the audience video footage of one of Will's first experiences being zapped, when an electrode patch was attached to his nipple and Ralf could be seen literally rolling on the floor in laughter.

Ralf went on to explain that when they'd first zapped him on his backside, he hadn't been wearing jeans, making it a "horrible sight".

On another occasion, he affixed the electrodes to his back, mischievously quipping: "I'll put it on his c**p tattoo that he got when he was 16!"

He also relentlessly mocked his co-star for "crying constantly" during his 2022 stint on Strictly Come Dancing and branded him a "cheesy cruise ship entertainer".

Meanwhile, Ralf also discussed Death in Paradise during the course of the very eventful two hour show, admitting that he'd felt "no emotion" while filming his final police station scenes as DI Neville Parker.

His replacement on the show has since been announced as former EastEnders star Don Gilet.