Benidorm cast now - co-star bitter divorce and career change to cancer tragedy
The highly anticipated reboot of Benidorm has been thrown into doubt after the creator's tricky divorce from one of the show's biggest stars, it has been reported.
Derren Litten was married to Jake Canuso, who plays Lothario Matteo in the ITV comedy, but their marriage ended in 2023. The relationship between them is said to be tense, seeing reports of a comeback now hanging in the balance.
The sun-soaked hit comedy aired for 10 series from 2007 to 2008 with a beloved cast featuring the likes of Johnny Vegas, Tim Healy, Steve Pemberton and Siobhan Finneran. A Listers, including Dame Joan Collins and late Will and Grace star Leslie Jordan, also made surprise appearances.
Derren said on X last year: 'I don't really talk about my personal life here but the reason I've been a bit scarce on the socials is for the last 18 months I've been going through a pretty miserable divorce. So I'm obviously poor now. And you thought we couldn't have more in common then we already do?!'
A source told The Sun: 'Matteo is Benidorm, he's the character that everyone wants to see. He's been part of the Solana since the beginning so for him not to feature in any future reboot, well it just would not be the same without him. Jake created one of the show's most loved characters in Matteo but with everything that's happened between him and Derren, it's not looking good.'
Another insider said: 'Conversations have been had. The only way Jake will return is if ITV make him a huge offer, one that he could not possibly turn down. But obviously Derren is making negotiations difficult. He is the writer and creator and believes that he should make all the decisions - the fans would want to see Matteo, which ITV get. It's all become one big headache.'
The majority of big-name stars left before the show was cancelled, so there are no guarantees as to who would make up the new lineup. So as reports swirl about the show's possible return, the Mirror takes a look at what became of some of Benidorm's most memorable stars…
Danny Walters
The 32-year-old actor, from Essex, played Tiger Dyke on the ITV sitcom from 2014 to 2017. However, Danny Walters made a big change when he left the comedy and joined BBC One soap opera EastEnders in the role of hunky Keanu Taylor.
As part of the raucous Taylor clan, Keanu quickly became embroiled in chaos but his big storyline saw him begin an affair with Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean) while dating her step-daughter Louise (Tilly Keeper) - later fathering a child with each of them.
Danny remained on EastEnders until he quit in 2019, with Keanu's final scenes airing in early 2020. In a shock twist, Danny returned to the soap in December 2022. One year later his character was killed off on Christmas Day 2023 as part of the famous 'The Six' storyline which saw Linda Carter kill him during an altercation.
Jake Canuso
The longest-running Benidorm cast member, Italian-British actor and dancer Jake Canuso played Solana barman Mateo Castellanos across the comedy's entire run. Following the conclusion of Benidorm in 2018, Jake joined several other cast members in Derren Little's Benidorm Live stage show, which toured the UK from September 2018 until April 2019 for 250 shows.
After the end of his run with Benidorm, Jake collaborated once more with Derren on his BBC One sitcom Scarborough, playing the role of Tony Peroni in the 2019 series. Jake is currently offering paid personalised messages as Mateo via the video service Memmo.
A spokesperson for Jake told The Sun they were unaware of any planned return for Benidorm.
Sheila Reid
Loveable Madge Harvey was played by Sheila Reid across the first six series of Benidorm, returning for a recurring role in the seventh run and a guest stint in the eighth series in 2016.
Since leaving Benidorm, Sheila has appeared in Channel 4 sci-fi drama Humans in 2018 as Iris, along with a role in BBC's The Cleaner series three in 2024. In 2018, Sheila also appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Troilus and Cressida.
Sherrie Hewson
Sherrie Hewson is best known to UK viewers for her soap opera roles in Coronation Street, Crossroads, and Emmerdale, but also for her role as a panellist on Loose Women from 2003 to 2017.
In 2013, Sherrie joined Benidorm in its fifth series in the role of Joyce Temple-Savage, the new manager of the Solana Hotel. Sherrie remained a staple cast member until the show's cancellation following its tenth run.
In 2020, Sherrie appeared on Loose Women to discuss her decision to undergo a facelift cosmetic procedure. She revealed: "I'm not stupid, I know how old I am I've got wrinkles, I just wanted to have some plumpness back and made me feel a bit better about myself. It's made me feel like I can look in the mirror."
In 2024, Sherrie, 74, joined the cast of Hollyoaks as the character Martha Blake. Speaking of the reports of a Benidorm revival, the actress said on Best's Suddenly Single podcast: "There is this thing that it's coming back though, and I keep that alive. It is now a possibility. That would be wonderful because we all miss it desperately."
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Oliver Stokes
Oliver played the role of cheeky Michael Garvey in the first seven series of Benidorm from 2007 to 2015. Following his departure from Benidorm, Oliver went on to have a role in two episodes of Casualty as Sean McKern in 2017.
Since taking a less active role in the entertainment industry, Oliver works as a successful tradesman and can now be seen on Instagram posting proud photos of his little baby son and showing off his passion for fishing. Explaining his career shift, he told the Mirror: 'It got to a point where I just thought I wanted an income every month guaranteed, instead of not knowing when your next job is going to come. I'd love to get back into the future if the right thing came about but who knows?'
Hannah Hobley
36-year-old actress Hannah Hobley played teen Chantelle Garvey in the first three series of Benidorm from 2007 to 2009, memorably becoming a young mother in the series. Since departing Benidorm, Hannah has taken on theatre roles, including roles in stage productions of Sleeping Beauty and Dick Whittington.
Hannah is very active on social media, including Instagram and TikTok, and can often be seen producing amusing content. Over on Instagram, mum-of-one Hannah often shares throwback snaps to her time on Benidorm as part of the Garvey clan.
Kenny Ireland
Scottish actor and theatre director Kenny Ireland played the popular role of Donald Stewart on Benidorm from its inception until his death at the age of 68 in 2014.
Kenny's brain cancer diagnosis was announced a month prior to his death in July 2014, with his final episodes of Benidorm being in the sixth series. Derren Little penned at the time on Twitter: "Terribly sad news guys. Kenny Ireland lost his very long battle with cancer this morning. Miss you so much already dear friend. X".
The character of Donald was subsequently killed off and mourned on-screen in the show's eighth run.
Asa Elliot
British actor and singer Asa Elliot appeared as himself on Benidorm from 2010 until 2014 and later joined Benidorm Live following the show's end. In 2018, Asa also appeared and sang in PBS' Doo Wop Generations, performing Those Magic Changes.
In 2020, Asa revealed that he had been singing on cruise ships until the Covid pandemic disrupted his work. He then took up work as an Asda delivery driver to supplement his income in these difficult times.
Asa told BBC Look North of the impact of the pandemic on the entertainment industry, according to The List:"It's really hit us completely. We still don't know when we're going back to work."
He added of his time as a delivery driver: "I've only encountered a few 'Benidorm' fans. I delivered to a lady on Hornsea the other day and she was very star-struck."
Tony Maudsley
English actor Tony Maudsley is best known for his role as hairdresser Kenneth Du Beke on Benidorm, a role he played from 2011 until the show's end in 2018. Tony, 57, also reprised the role of Kenneth for the Benidorm Live run from 2018 to 2019.
Since the end of the sitcom, he has appeared as Spearman in the BBC Two Cold War drama series Summer of Rockets and then later landed the humorous role of funeral director George Shuttleworth in Coronation Street in 2020 and has remained a staple on the soap since his introduction.
In 2024 he appeared in a celebrity special of The Chase and opened up on the unexpected nerves he felt. 'The minute I said yes to going on The Chase, the nerves started to kick in. Faced with a ticking clock, a chance to win big for charity and a studio audience, the pressure and my nerves went through the roof!,' he told the Daily Star.
Johnny Vegas
Comic legend Johnny Vegas appeared in the first three series of Benidorm as Geoff Maltby aka "The Oracle", returning to reprise his role in the seventh to ninth series from 2014 to 2017. Since leaving Benidorm, Johnny has appeared as a regular panellist on BBC quiz show QI and also on the celebrity edition of Gogglebox, along with voicing the character of Asbo in 2018 Aardman Animations film Early Man.
Johnny has also made guest appearances on other comedy shows such as the sitcom Red Dwarf and game show Taskmaster. He is also set to appear in Johnny Vegas' Little Shop Of Antiques where he 'investigates, hunts and repairs pieces to add to his collection'.
Siobhan Finneran
Former Downton Abbey actress Siobhan Finneran played Janice Garvey on Benidorm from 2007 until the show's seventh run in 2015.
She and Steve Pemberton announced their decision to leave the show during Benidorm's sixth series, with Siobhan explaining to What's on TV at the time: 'We were in a terrible state. It was our decision to stop, but it was still heartbreaking. A lot of guest stars – brilliant people like David Bradley – have said it's a treat of a job, and they're right.'
She added: 'So it was really, really upsetting to say goodbye to the cast and crew. You know you're not going to work with them ever again. Then to come home and think, 'Blimey, we've actually done it', is quite something.'
Since leaving Benidorm, Siobhan has appeared as Clare Cartwright in gritty BBC One crime drama Happy Valley, appeared in the crime drama The Moorside based on the disappearance of Shannon Matthews, the BBC comedy series The Other One, and last year appeared in hit Netflix thriller The Stranger. She's currently back on our screen's in ITV's gritty cop thriller, Protection.
Steve Pemberton
Leaving Benidorm at the same time as Siobhan was her on-screen husband, celebrated The League of Gentleman star Steve Pemberton, who played Mick Garvey on the show from 2007 until 2015.
Since departing Benidorm, Steve has continued appearing on comedy anthology series Inside No. 9, appeared in Amazon Prime Video fantasy series Good Omens, played Mr Braithwaite in Worzel Gummidge, and joined the cast of Killing Eve season 3 as the slippery Paul. He also appeared on the most recent series of Taskmaster. In 2019, Steve won a television BAFTA award for Best Male Comedy Performance for his work on Inside No. 9.
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