Claire Jane Sweeney is an English actress, singer, and television personality. Known for her portrayal of Lindsey Corkhill on Channel 4's Brookside (1991–2003), she also played Roxie Hart in Chicago and starred in touring productions of Guys and Dolls (2006), Tell Me on a Sunday (2011), Legally Blonde (2011), and Educating Rita (2012). She was a panellist on ITV's Loose Women between 2003 and 2005, and presented 60 Minute Makeover from 2004 to 2006. Her debut album, Claire, reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002. Sweeney has portrayed Cassie Plummer on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since 2023. Her other credits include Candy Cabs (2011), Scarborough (2019), and The Good Ship Murder (2023).
Derren Ronald Litten is an English comedy writer, actor and director, best known as the creator and writer of the sitcom Benidorm. He co-wrote The Catherine Tate Show, in which he plays several characters in the first two series and the 2005 Christmas special. He has acted in many TV comedy and drama series including Perfect World, French and Saunders, Spaced, EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Pie in the Sky with Richard Griffiths. Litten's first sitcom was Benidorm, which began airing on ITV in 2007. The series follows various groups of holiday makers and staff in the all-inclusive Solana resort located in Benidorm. The series received strong ratings and later extended its runtime, running for 10 series ending in 2018.
Alice Barry is an English actress.
Jason John Manford is an English comedian, presenter, actor and singer.
Sandy Johnson is a Scottish director who has directed episodes of The Comic Strip Presents, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Jonathan Creek and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. His first full-length film was Coast to Coast (1987) written by Stan Hey and starring John Shea, Lenny Henry and Pete Postlethwaite. In Scotland he directed Leaving (1988), The Gift (1989) and The Wreck on the Highway (1990) starring Lynn Anderson.
Catherine Mary Ann Tyldesley is an English actress, known for her roles as Iris Moss in the BBC drama Lilies (2007), Eva Price on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from (2011–2018) and Karen Norris in the BBC sitcom Scarborough (2019). She also appeared as a contestant on the seventeenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2019.
Sheila Reid is a Scottish actress, known for playing Madge Harvey in the ITV sitcom Benidorm (2007–2016). 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).
Oliver Stokes from Kingston Upon Hull is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of Michael Garvey in Benidorm, from 2007 to 2015.
"Bothered and Bewildered" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, The Green Green Grass. It was first screened on 29 September 2006, as the third episode of the second series. It was directed by Dewi Humphreys, and written by Derren Litten, and The Green Green Grass and Only Fools and Horses series creator John Sullivan.
The second series of The Green Green Grass originally aired between 15 September 2006 and 27 October 2006, beginning with the episode "Testing Times". A Christmas special aired on 25 December 2006.
Frank Skinner's Opinionated is a British television comedy talk show hosted by the comedian Frank Skinner and produced by Avalon Television for the BBC. The show focusses on various topics in the previous week's news, with Skinner joined by two celebrity guests, also interacting with the studio audience. Each half-hour episode is filmed in a different location around the country. It was first shown on BBC Two, with a first series of six episodes broadcast from 16 April 2010, and a second of six more beginning on 25 March 2011. The third and final series began broadcasting on 10 November 2011.
The inaugural series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 1 February 2007, consisting of six episodes. The entire series was directed by Kevin Allen and written by Derren Litten. The first series introduced the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Chantelle, Michael and Janice's mother Madge Barron ; swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart ; mother and son Noreen and Geoff "The Oracle" Maltby ; homosexual couple Gavin and Troy Ramsbottom ; un-keen couple Kate and Martin Weedon ; and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos and manageress Janey York.
Benidorm is a British sitcom written and created by Derren Litten and produced by Tiger Aspect for ITV that aired for ten series from 1 February 2007 until 2 May 2018. The series features an ensemble cast of holiday makers and staff at the Solana all-inclusive hotel in Benidorm, Spain over the course of a week each year.
The fourth season of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort, began broadcasting on 25 February 2011, consisting of six episodes. The entire series was directed by Sandy Johnson and written by Derren Litten. Multiple changes occurred within the cast this series, which saw the introductions of Shelley Longworth as Sam Wood, Tony Maudsley as Kenneth Du Beke, Kathryn Drysdale as Natalie Jones, Adam Gillen as Liam Conroy and Selina Griffiths as Pauline Mahmood. Furthermore, Tim Healy re-joined the cast, now on a permanent basis, whereas Cilla Black, Denise Welch, Bananarama, and Melvyn Hayes made brief guest appearances. Returning from the third series were the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Michael and Janice's mother Madge Barron ; swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart ; Noreen Maltby ; homosexual couple Gavin and Troy Ramsbottom, though Bazely only appeared in the series finale; and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos and manageress Janey York.
The fifth series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 24 February 2012, consisting of seven episodes. The series was directed by both John Henderson and Sandy Johnson, though was written by Derren Litten, Steve Pemberton and Neil Fitzmaurice. The series saw the returns of Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Michael Garvey and Janice's mother Madge Barron ; swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart ; Noreen Maltby ; hairdressers Gavin Ramsbottom and Kenneth Du Beke ; Sam Wood and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos, Les/Lesley Conroy and Liam Conroy. Sherrie Hewson and Michelle Butterly joined the cast of Joyce Temple-Savage, the new Solana manageress, and Trudy, the new holiday companion of Sam, respectively. Paul Bazely, Kathryn Drysdale and Selina Griffiths did not return; Crissy Rock did not return either, though did make a brief return during the sixth episode.
Benidorm Live is the stage adaptation of British sitcom Benidorm, written by its writer and creator Derren Litten. The tour began in Newcastle, England at the Theatre Royal on 7 September 2018, and concluded in Canterbury, England at the Marlowe Theatre on 20 April 2019, spanning a total of 250 shows.
The second series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 28 March 2008, consisting of eight episodes. The entire series was directed by Sandy Johnson and written by Derren Litten. Returning from the first series were the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Chantelle, Michael and Janice's mother Madge Barron, whereas Geoffrey Hutchings was introduced as Mel Harvey, Madge's new fiancé; swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart ; mother and son Noreen and Geoff "The Oracle" Maltby ; homosexual couple Gavin and Troy Ramsbottom ; un-keen couple Kate and Martin Weedon ; and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos and manageress Janey York.
The sixth series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 2 January 2014, consisting of seven episodes. The entire series was written by Derren Litten whereas both Sandy Johnson and David Sant were credited as individual directors throughout the series. Returning from the fifth series were the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Michael Garvey and Janice's mother Madge Barron ; swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart ; hairdressers Liam Conroy and Kenneth Du Beke ; and Solana staff, consisting of barmen Mateo Castellanos and Les/Lesley Conroy, and manageress Joyce Temple-Savage. A new family was introduced – the Dykes from Watford, consisting of married couple Clive and Tonya and their children Tiger and Bianca.
The seventh series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 2 January 2015, consisting of seven episodes. The entire series was written by Derren Litten whereas both Sandy Johnson and David Sant were credited as individual directors throughout the series. This was the final series to feature the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Michael Garvey and Janice's mother Madge Barron, though Reid did briefly return in the eighth series. Furthermore, it was the first series not to feature Donald Stewart, due to Ireland's diagnosis of cancer and subsequent death. Janine Duvitski reprised her role of Jacqueline Stewart, the character's wife, who was joined by newcomer Glynn. Other returning cast members included Tiger and Clive Dyke, who were joined by Terry Dyke ; hairdressers Liam Conroy and Kenneth Du Beke ; and Solana staff, consisting of barmen Mateo Castellanos and Les/Lesley Conroy, and manageress Joyce Temple-Savage. Elsie Kelly and Johnny Vegas, who are both original cast members of the programme, also reprised their roles during the seventh series.
