John Hannah, star of Channel 5's detective drama Benidorm is Murder, has hinted that a second series could be on the way. Appearing on ITV's Lorraine on Friday, October 9, the actor suggested he would soon discuss the show's future with Channel 5's commissioning editor.
Benidorm is Murder, created by the writer behind Death in Paradise, launched earlier this year. Hannah plays Dennis, a former detective who has moved to Benidorm and opened a Scottish beachside bar. There, he is drawn back into solving crimes and forms an unexpected partnership with his new barmaid and crime-drama enthusiast Rosa, played by Carolina Becquer.
Success and critical acclaim
The programme proved popular with audiences and received glowing reviews from critics. Speaking on Lorraine, Hannah praised the script's tone, saying: "But the thing that I liked about this script is that, Dennis, the cop, has a sense of humour. Oh, so he's aware of, like, how silly things are that surround him, which you don't often get."
Presenter Lorraine Kelly agreed, saying: "Yes, it's very serious ... I'm over grim and gritty!" She then asked Hannah: "So can you phone up Channel 5 to find and make sure they do more of that, please?"
Talks underway for series two
Hinting at a new series, Hannah revealed: "I will be talking to Greg [Barnett, Channel 5 Commissioning Editor and Executive Producer] as soon as I get off this sofa."
Before the series even aired, Greg Barnett told media outlets, including The Mirror, that discussions about a potential second series were already underway. "We are looking at series two... I don't want to tempt fate," he stated. "I think we can say that we are developing potentially a couple of scripts for a series two. Fingers crossed that dream will become a reality, we'd very much like it to be."
Hannah also acknowledged at the time that a second series had not yet been greenlit, but he remained hopeful. "We don't know [about season two] yet," he told Digital Spy. "It always comes down to numbers and economics, doesn't it? I've always said this, but it comes down to the script, and the script was funny. It was well-written. I liked the characters. They all felt believable."
Benidorm is Murder is available to watch on Channel 5.
