John Hannah plays Dennis, a retired detective running a bar in Benidorm, in Channel 5's new comedy crime series Benidorm is Murder. Unlike the hard-drinking loner detectives he has previously portrayed, such as John Rebus or Jack Cloth, Hannah says his new character's sense of humour sets him apart.
'He recognises when something is ironic or weird, which I don't think you get to see a lot in TV cops,' the 64-year-old actor told Metro. 'They're serious-thinking loners. Divorcees, suffering some existential moment.'
A different kind of detective duo
Dennis does have some of that going on until Rosa (Carolina Bécquer), a Spaniard who has devoured the Midsomer Murders back-catalogue, comes knocking for a job. When she learns Dennis is a former detective, she's made up.
The plot kicks off when Robbie Williams – not the real one, but the frontman of tribute band Mis-take That – falls to his death from a hotel balcony. Fingers are pointed at Gary Barlow, but Rosa suspects he's innocent and convinces a grumbling Dennis to crack the impersonator-on-impersonator crime.
Filming in Benidorm
The six-part series was shot on location in the Spanish seaside town. Bécquer admits that as a Spaniard, 'you hear all sorts of things' about the place. 'They've kind of just ceded it to the British, haven't they?' laughs Hannah, who says his late working-class parents would have loved holidaying there.
Filming on the strip was less chaotic than expected. 'At first we were wary,' Hannah says. 'But people were no different from filming in any other city. We were completely awry in our assumptions that it might get a bit leery.' Most passersby were curious, wondering if it was a Benidorm reboot or if they could get involved.
A working-class relief
Hannah describes the blue-collar focus as 'a real relief' compared to the many crime capers set in uber-wealthy settings. 'I left drama school in 1985, working class, and it felt like that was a really good time. There were so many shows that were on, Boys from the Blackstuff, telling working class stories. It seems like we've moved away from that.'
He also discusses the intergenerational dynamic between Dennis and Rosa, recalling how quickly he had to get along with his elders while working on building sites as a teenager. Bécquer calls her co-star a mentor: 'When I got there, I didn't know what I was doing. He really took me under his wing and gave me so much advice.'
Behind the scenes
Director Simon Delaney had an exacting vision for the series. Hannah calls him 'particular' and 'precise', noting the number of takes involved. There are vague allusions to production issues due to filming on location with a non-first-language English crew, but discussions for a second season are already underway.
Despite the pull of the surroundings, the stars didn't go full method. Hannah drank alcohol-free beers at the various bars, and the core cast stayed in the historic Old Town, rather than what Hannah dubs 'Blackpool, Vegas-y land'. Guest cast members including Denise Welch and Alistair McGowan explored the city and returned with 'colourful stories'.
Benidorm is Murder airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
