The fifth series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort (The Solana) 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 (Steve Pemberton), Janice (Siobhan Finneran), Michael Garvey (Oliver Stokes) and Janice's mother Madge Barron (Sheila Reid); swingers Donald (Kenny Ireland) and Jacqueline Stewart (Janine Duvitski); Noreen Maltby (Elsie Kelly); hairdressers Gavin Ramsbottom (Hugh Sachs) and Kenneth Du Beke (Tony Maudsley); Sam Wood (Shelley Longworth) and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos (Jake Canuso), Les/Lesley Conroy (Tim Healy) and Liam Conroy (Adam Gillen). 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.
Initially, Litten did not want to write a fifth series, believing that the fourth series had allowed the programme to conclude on a high. However, due to popular demand, he agreed to write further episodes, with cast member Steve Pemberton, as well as Neil Fitzmaurice, agreeing to help him write episodes and storylines. Overall, the series received an average viewership of 7.06 million, with the opening episode receiving 6.84 million viewers. The series concluded on 6 April 2012, with the series finale attracting 5.66 million.
Cast
Main Sheila Reid as Madge Harvey Siobhan Finneran as Janice Garvey Oliver Stokes as Michael Garvey Steve Pemberton as Mick Garvey (episodes 2–7) Janine Duvitski as Jacqueline Stewart Kenny Ireland as Donald Stewart Jake Canuso as Mateo Castellanos Elsie Kelly as Noreen Maltby Hugh Sachs as Gavin Ramsbottom Tim Healy as Les/Lesley Conroy Adam Gillen as Liam Conroy Tony Maudsley as Kenneth Du Beke Shelley Longworth as Sam Wood Sherrie Hewson as Joyce Temple-Savage Michelle Butterly as Trudy
Recurring Asa Elliott as himself Alba Ortega as Carmen Dhaffer L'Abidine as Mohammed
Guest Matthew Kelly as Cyril Babcock Crissy Rock as Janey York Michael Fenton Stevens as Sir Henry
Episodes
Production Creator Derren Litten opted against writing any new episodes beyond the fourth series, commenting, "I'm really looking forward to Series 4 although it is with mixed emotions because, for me, it is the end of my Benidorm journey. I can't begin to tell you what this show means to me, it has changed my life in so many ways. Not least the amazing friends I have made along the way. I won't be writing any more episodes of Benidorm, for me the story of the Garveys and all of the other characters I created ends at Episode 6 of Series 4." However, Litten reversed his decision and agreed to write a fifth series after cast member Steve Pemberton agreed to contribute to three episodes. The fifth series was officially confirmed by ITV in April 2011.
In May 2011, it was announced that Crissy Rock, who portrayed Solana manageress Janey Yorke, had been written out of the programme to make place for a storyline seeing the Solana under new management. She did, however, make a brief appearance in the fifth series. That August, Sherrie Hewson was confirmed to be joining the cast, taking on the role of Joyce Temple-Savage, the new manageress of the Solana. An admirer of the programme, Hewson stated, "I am absolutely thrilled about joining Benidorm, I have watched and loved it from the very beginning. I am so excited about being part of such an iconic show and working with an amazing cast. My character is so brilliantly written that I can't wait to start filming." Michelle Butterly was cast as Trudy, the new holiday companion of established character Sam Wood. Describing her character, Butterly commented, "Trudy's not a girl to get the wrong side of. As you've probably seen, she gets to head-butt and whack quite a few people. She's bad ass! If you cross her she can be quite violent!"
Home media The fifth series was released on a two-disc DVD on 15 April 2012 in the United Kingdom. The set also includes 15 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, a selection of outtakes and audio commentaries.
The fifth series first became available for streaming through Netflix in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2015.
Ratings Episode Running time() Original air date(United Kingdom) ITV SD ratings ITV HD ratings ITV +1 ratings Weekly rank Rating increase / decrease 1 46 minutes 24 February 2012 6.48 0.75 0.49 14 2 46 minutes 2 March 2012 6.21 0.62 0.58 14 3 46 minutes 9 March 2012 6.28 0.73 0.55 14 4 46 minutes 16 March 2012 5.99 0.64 0.43 14 5 46 minutes 23 March 2012 5.32 0.54 0.54 16 6 46 minutes 30 March 2012 5.83 0.65 0.42 14 7 46 minutes 6 April 2012 5.66 0.71 13 Series average 2012 7.06 0.66 0.50—
References
Notes
External links Series 5 – list of episodes on IMDb