Benidorm (British TV series)
A week at the Solana Resort in Benidorm, Spain.
Benidorm is a British sitcom created by Derren Litten and produced by Tiger Aspect for ITV. It aired for ten series from 1 February 2007 to 2 May 2018, following an ensemble cast of holidaymakers and staff at the Solana all-inclusive hotel in Benidorm, Spain.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom comedy-drama
- Creator
- Derren Litten
- Theme music
- Mark Thomas
- Opening theme
- "Benidorm Theme"
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 10
- Episodes
- 74
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The series follows holidaymakers who spend a week at the Solana Resort in Benidorm, Spain. The same people generally go at the same time of year, often by coincidence. Some higher-class guests are dissatisfied with the facilities or other holidaymakers, while others enjoy themselves, largely because the resort is all-inclusive. The first four series focused mainly on guests, with staff in the background. From series five, staff characters became more prominent after Sherrie Hewson joined as manager Joyce Temple Savage and Adam Gillen returned as maintenance man Liam Conroy, allowing more storylines about hotel operations.
Production
Derren Litten pitched a new comedy about an all-inclusive holiday resort to ITV in 2006, which became a six-episode series titled Benidorm. The first episode aired on 1 February 2007, drawing 5.86 million viewers and a 26% share. A second series began on 28 March 2008, attracting 7.14 million viewers and a 28% share, and the programme won Best Comedy Programme at the National Television Awards in 2008. An hour-long special aired on 31 May 2009 as a bridge between the second and third series. The third series started on 2 October 2009 in a 45-minute format. In 2010, a Christmas special was announced; after cast member Geoffrey Hutchings died in July 2010 from a suspected viral infection, the special was heavily rewritten to write out his character. It aired on 26 December 2010 with 7.41 million viewers. The fourth series began on 25 February 2011, introducing new characters after several cast departures. Litten initially stated he would not write beyond the fourth series, but reversed his decision after Steve Pemberton agreed to contribute to three episodes of a fifth series.
Spin-offs
In 2016, FOX ordered an American version of the sitcom called The Big Package. It was to follow a Bostonian family, much like the Garveys, on holiday at a Mexican resort to escape money troubles. The title comes from the resort's "big package deal." Chris Alberghini and Mike Chessler were set to adapt Derren Litten's scripts. Though planned for 2017, it remains unaired as of 2026.
More in Television Series by Tiger Aspect Productions
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced