1 week Ago By Mary Gallagher
IT was the cheeky comedy that depicted the naughty, amusing and wild antics of Brits abroad.Starring big names including Tim Healy and Sherrie Hewson, Benidorm earned a cult following before it was brutally axed in 2018.ITVBenidorm is set to return after being cancelled[/caption]Writer Derren often guest-starred in the showBut now, The Sun has been told ITV bosses have had multiple secret meetings with show writer Derren Litten to bring it back for an 11th series.
An insider told us it has yet to be commissioned but producers are currently reaching out to Benidorm’s big names to confirm they will appear.It follows Sherrie, who played manager Joyce Temple-Savage, letting slip on a podcast: “Benidorm is coming back.” Insiders tell us it’s down to the show getting a new lease of life since being added to ITVX streaming service, which means it’s reached a whole new generation of fans.
A lot has happened to stars of Benidorm in the long seven years since the show was dropped by TV bosses, including some who swapped Solana and Neptunes Bar for the likes of Asda and Corrie.There have been terrifying health scares, including one actor whose heart stopped before they made a miraculous recovery, romantic drama and surprising twists – here we take a look at what happened to the stars next.Johnny VegasJohnny Vegas, 54, amassed quite a fortune during his career thanks to Benidorm and BBC’s Home From Home.
He is said to be worth around £8million through his acting career and endorsements.It’s a far cry from his character Geoff “The Oracle” Maltby on Benidorm. Johnny left the series in 2010 after a reported falling out with the show creator – which they both denied – but he returned to the role in 2015.
Rex/Channel 4Johnny went from Vegas to glamping with his new business venture[/caption]In recent years, Johnny was seen in Carry On Glamping.In a four-part series Johnny sets out to open his very own glamping site and travels around the UK in his camper van, named Patricia after his mother.He’s continued to appear in TV shows – and is set to voice Mr Twit in animated film adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s legendary kids’ book and also Giro in the upcoming Wombles Movie.
Tim HealyITV/PATim was in a coma in a Spanish hospital[/caption]Tim hit headlines when he fell out with his ex Denise Welch over comments she made about their sex life on Loose Women.Her remarks clearly didn’t go down well with her ex who she shares two sons with – 1975 frontman Matt and actor Louis.Denise and Tim were married between 1988 and 2012.
Despite the end of their 24-year marriage, Denise and Tim have always insisted they’ve remained close friends and have even spent Christmas together with their other halves.Worryingly, Tim, 73, nearly died while filming the ninth series of Benidorm after being struck down by a mystery illness. Show writer Derren Litten revealed he was in a coma in a Spanish hospital after an operation “didn’t go well at all”.
“He died, he flatlined, they had to resuscitate him,” the writer said. “He was in intensive care for a month.”Tim was eventually airlifted to the UK and credits his son’s album, which was “on a loop” for several days, with bringing him out of a coma.
“After a few days I started smiling and then I came round – so my son’s music brought me back to the land of the living,” he told The Mirror.Tim, who married Joan Anderton in 2015, appeared in TV show Still Open All Hours until 2019 and most recently was the narrator of a short film titled You Are Not Alone.Hannah WaddinghamHannah starred in Ted LassoLondon-born Hannah, 50, appeared in the sitcom as Tonya Dyke, in 2014, before becoming a huge star both in the UK and the States.
She starred as Septa Unella in one season of Game of Thrones before landing the role of Sofia in the Netflix smash Sex Education and playing Rebecca Welton in the US hit Ted Lasso, for which she won a best actress award in 2021.The former West End star, who first found fame as a lead in Spamalot, has also become an accomplished presenter, hosting the Olivier Awards, last year’s Eurovision and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.The mum-of-one – who shares 10-year-old Kitty with ex Gianluca Cugnetto – prevoiusly opened up about a health scare which saw her daughter hospitalised with a rare auto immmune condition after falling ill.
“I can talk about it now, but I couldn’t for a very long time. She was in the hospital for a while with them not knowing what it was,” she said, adding that Kitty was “doing much better now.”Hannah has also revealed she keeps her Emmy award in her daughter’s bedroom to remind her that “mummy will only ever be away when it’s for a really, blooming good reason.
”Jake CanusoRex/CLICK NEWS AND MEDIAJake tried out for Dancing on Ice in 2020 but didn’t make the cut[/caption]The Swiss actor and dancer Jake Canuso, 55, was the only Spanish character in the regular cast.As barman Mateo, he frequently caused problems for the guests at the fictional Solana resort.He was on the show since it started but there’s much more to him than just playing a sleazy cocktail maker.
When filming ended he reprised the role in the stage adaptation Benidorm Live, and later won a lead role in a theatre production of Aladdin.In 2019 Benidorm creator Derren Litten cast him in his series Scarborough and a year later, he auditioned for Dancing on Ice but failed to make the cast. Currently, Jake is offering personalised videos to fans through online website Memmo in exchange for cash.
He said: “I hear Mateo is doing a lot of skiving off work to send personalised video messages directly from the Costa Blanca.”The actor has also had stints in pantomimes and appeared in the TV show Grace last year. Siobhan FinneranITV/BBCSiobhan Finneran returned to screens in Happy Valley[/caption]Actress Siobhan Finneran played the long-suffering mum of The Garvey family.
Siobhan appeared in six series of Benidorm as the lovable Janice before leaving in 2015.Her most acclaimed role is that of Sarah O’Brien in period drama Downton Abbey, and she appeared through to series three.The actress appeared in the lotto-based drama The Syndicate and appeared in two series of Happy Valley as Claire Cartwright.
Siobhan also starred in the acclaimed The Moorside, The Loch, Cold Feet and popular Sean Bean crime drama Time.The 58-year-old has two children with ex-husband Mark Jordan, who she divorced in 2014.Steve PembertonITV/GettySteve Pemberton won a Bafta for his show Inside No 9[/caption]Steve Pemberton is one of the most recognisable faces on the British comedy circuit – and is best known for starring in The League of Gentlemen and Benidorm.
The 57-year-old appeared in six series of Benidorm as Mick Garvey and the work-shy dad frequently clashed with his sharp-tongued mother-in-law Madge – played by Sheila Reid.Steve also co-wrote and appeared in the sitcom Psychoville and the comedy-drama Inside No 9 – for which he won a Bafta in 2019.He recently played Robbie Williams’s miscreant father in the biopic Better Man and has made cameo appearances in Amazon series Good Omens, Sky’s Brassic and BBC’s The Cleaner.
Other shows he’s appeared in include Doctor Who, Blackpool, Shameless, Whitechapel, Happy Valley and Mapp and Lucia.In February 2018 he appeared on Benidorm Ten Years On Holiday to talk about his time on the show.He lives in London with partner Alison Rowles and their three children.
Janine DuvitskiITV/InstagramActress Janine Duvitski stepped away from fame to spend more time with family[/caption]Janine Duvitski and Kenny Ireland were central characters who played fun-loving swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart, but sadly Kenny died aged 69 in 2014.Writers marked Donald’s death in the show, with Jacqueline scattering her husband’s ashes over the cliffside in Benidorm.Janine has stepped away from the limelight in recent years but starred in acclaimed Little Joe in 2019.
She now enjoys spending time with her four kids with her actor husband Paul Bentall, and her daughter Edith is making waves as the lead singer of the London pop group Fours.Hannah HobleyInstagramHannah Hobley was all smiles with her baby girl[/caption]Since leaving her Benidorm in 2009, Hannah Hobley’s life has taken a rather dramatic and different turn. The actress, who played Chantelle ‘Telle’ Garvey, has barely been seen on screen and since 2017 has been more focused on pantomimes.
The last was in Beauty and the Beast in 2022 and it’s believed she has since become a full-time parent to daughter Beatrice. The little girl was born in November that year. She shared a series of sweet snaps on her Instagram and said the little girl was “well and truly worth the wait”.
Hannah, now 36, added: “@nathrichsmith and I would like to proudly introduce you all to our daughter, Beatrice Hobley-Smith. Born on the 5th November. A date we will always remember.
”As well as Benidorm, Hannah starred in the 2007 period drama Cranford.Tony MaudsleyITVTony went from colourful Kenneth to undertaker George in Corrie[/caption]Actor Tony Maudsley, 57, played beloved Benidorm star Kenneth DuBeke.His career started when he landed a role in the film, A Life for a Life, in 1998 where he played the part of Stefan Kiszko.
Since then he has starred in many TV shows including Doc Martin, Miss Marple and Ordinary Lives.He has also starred in films including Sleepy Hollow where he played Van Ripper and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, playing Grawp, Hagrid’s giant brother.Corrie fans will now recognise Tony as kind undertaker George Shuttleworth, who won the heart of Eileen Grimshaw.
Sheila ReidITV/RexSheila Reid has starred in series Humans and BBC medical drama Doctors[/caption]Scottish actress Sheila Reid, 87, is best known for playing the chain-smoking Madge Harvey.Since then she’s had roles on Channel 4’s Humans and BBC’s Doctors.But before all that, she was an original member of the Royal National Theatre in 1963.
She played Bianca in the National’s 1965 film version of Othello, with Laurence Olivier in the title role.Her other film appearances include Brazil (1985), The Winter Guest (1997) and Containment (2015).Sheila also starred in a BBC Christmas special of Call the Midwife, Inside No 9, The Cleaner and has a long-running role in TV show Big Boys.
Oliver StokesITV/InstagramOliver now works building luxury holiday homes[/caption]Oliver Stokes played teenager Michael Garvey in the ITV comedy.He is now all grown up and has a son of his own, little Archie, who the proud dad often shares photos of on Instagram.The 26-year-old has since enjoyed roles on soaps Doctors and Casualty but his day job seems to be working at luxury caravan manufacturer Victory Leisure Homes in Yorkshire.
The dad, who describes himself as a “Mountain walker & outdoor enthusiast”, has climbed 131 of the 214 Wainwright Peaks.Asa ElliottKennedy News and mediaAsa Elliott worked as a delivery driver during the pandemic[/caption]Benidorm’s bar singer Asa Elliott quit TV to become an ASDA delivery driver when his acting work dried up over lockdown.The actor, 43, played the singer at the Solana Hotel from 2010 to 2014, before joining the cast of Benidorm Live in 2018 to 2019.
Asa became a delivery driver after the pandemic cancelled his singing jobs on cruise ships in March – just two weeks after the birth of his first child.The singer delivered shopping to Hull residents, with some superfans spotting who was giving them their goods.Now back in showbiz, he played Prince Charming in Cinderella in panto in Stockton-on-Tees and continues to perform in threatres.
Asa and wife Natalie welcomed their son Buddy in March 2020 and a little girl called Rockie in 2022. Sherrie HewsonITV/RexSherrie says some men wish she was like her b***h character Joyce[/caption]Former Coronation Street star Sherrie Hewson played manager Joyce Temple-Savage since series five, and says men always mistake her for her character.She said: “She was a right madam.
She was very curt with everyone. Joyce thought she was absolutely sensational and that everyone else was as common as muck.“It was wonderful to play.
But it’s not who I am.”Sherry, now 74, was a regular on Loose Women between 2003 and 2017 and last year joined Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.Single Sherrie tried her hand at online dating – but was terrified by the results.
Sherrie said: “I really don’t understand that kind of explicit enjoyment that people get out of knowing what shock you’d have on your face because it’s an explicit picture of a penis.“When I got one I was like, ‘Oh my god, I haven’t seen one of those in 15 years.'”Best TV shows to watch this SpringBy Felicity Cross and Jess Lester FORGET about the rapidly increasing temperatures outside because Spring seems to be kicking off with some cracking TV.
From unmissable reality shows and crime flicks and documentaries, The Sun’s TV team give their top picks: THE STOLEN GIRL (Disney+, April 16) THE DIAMOND HEIST (Netflix, April 16)THE HANDMAID’S TALE (Prime Video, May 3; Channel 4, tbc)MARRIED TO THE GAME (Prime Video, Tuesday)SILENCE IS GOLDEN (U&Dave, May 5)AN EVENING WITH ELTON JOHN AND BRANDI CARLILE (ITV1, April 19)CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER (ITV1, tonight, 9pm)CHEAT: UNFINISHED BUSINESS (Netflix, April)MOLLY-MAE: BEHIND IT ALL (Prime Video, May 9)HAVOC (Netflix, April 25)YOU (Netflix, April 24)VIRGIN ISLAND (Channel 4, May)BLACK MIRROR (Netflix, Thursday)GRACE (ITV1, out now)SUSPECT (Disney+, spring)CLARKSON’S FARM (Prime Video, May 23)KATIE PIPER: LOCKED UP IN LOUISIANA (U&W, April)Read Felicity and Jess’s full recommendations here..
