Ah, Benidorm… sea, sun, sand, sex, sangria and chips. In 5’s new six-part comedy drama, masterminded by Ian Jarvis, the popular Costa Blanca resort becomes the setting for a series of murders which are amusing brain-teasers in themselves, while the show also has a lot of fun with the various species of visitors who EasyJet themselves to Spain’s Mediterranean coast to pick up a nice dose of sunburn. Given the prevailing UK weather conditions they could probably have made this in Margate, despite its lack of Miami-style skyscrapers, but that needn’t detain us now.
At the centre of the action is Scottish bar-owner Dennis Crown, played with stubbly world-weariness by John Hannah. When in doubt, Dennis pours himself another pint and sits down to think about it. And whatever you do, don’t describe him as “English”.
Dennis is a man who has known sorrow and has a bit of a back story. He was a detective in the UK for 35 years, but had to quit the force after an unpleasant clash with a senior officer, the latter having had an affair with Dennis’s wife. He also has a daughter, Carla, but she refuses to talk to him. In short, he’s not happy.
However, his world-weary inertia is punctured by the arrival of Rosa (Carolina Bécquer), a local Spanish girl who wants Dennis to give her a job in his bar (pictured above with Hannah, Ariadna Cabrol and Damian Schedler Cruz). She assesses (correctly) that Dennis is at a karmic low point and could use a dose of youthful energy to improve his lot. She has also found out that the licence for Dennis’s bar, imaginatively named The Tavern, expired two years earlier, so obviously he wouldn’t want her to mention this to the local cops. However, were he to make her the manager of his bar, this threat could be made to go away.
Anyway, Rosa’s energy and enthusiasm are just what he needs, and in addition she just happens to be a fanatical fan of vintage TV detective shows. She’s constantly dropping references to Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, Miss Marple, Murder She Wrote, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and so on, which, oddly, often prove quite helpful. Meanwhile, despite his protestations of being retired and over the hill, Denis can’t help dusting off his old detective skills when bodies keep turning up in unexpected places. Turns out he’s a pretty sharp copper, too.
The cases which come up for scrutiny amount to an index of seaside-postcard style caricatures of the British abroad. The first episode concerns a bunch of British blokes who perform in the Benidorm clubs as Mis-Take That, singing songs made popular by Robbie Williams and his former buddies. Indeed it’s Darren, the one who’s impersonating Robbie, who’s found floating in a hotel swimming pool the morning after he’s quit the group after an angry row. Local police chief Maria Hernandez (Ariadna Cabrol) wants to keep Dennis from poking his nose into her investigation, but (would you believe it) she has to grudgingly admit that his contribution was vital.
Episode two concerns venerable British stand-up comic Frank Mann, a staple of the Benidorm clubs and hotels, who’s trying to give his son Chris a leg-up to start his own career in comedy. It all goes pear-shaped when another light-entertainment legend, Vince Starky (Alistair McGowan), turns up in Benidorm, causing some awkward secrets to come tumbling out of the cupboard. As the local comedy booking agent puts it, “What a bloody mess. I knew I should have booked Joe Pasquale.”
For episode three, titled “Henidorm,” we have a hen party from Ireland gearing up for a monster bash to celebrate Leona’s nuptials. Events are put on hold following the discovery of the strangled body of Megan, the Maid of Honour. This prompts some excellent one-liners (“I might be a wanton harlot but I’m no murderer”), as well as a very cunningly-conceived denouement.
In short, Benidorm is Murder is a hit. It’s smart, shrewd and funny, and the way it references a whole back catalogue of vintage ‘tec shows while using Benidorm as a sort of cultural litmus test is an inspired notion. And John Hannah is perfectly cast. I think that’ll do nicely.
- New episodes of Benidorm Is Murder are released on 5 on Thursdays
- More TV on theartsdesk
