Hit comedy Benidorm returns to ITV on March 1, so here's our exclusive preview of the big surprises coming up in the ninth series…
It’s back to poolside pandemonium, witty one-liners, hotel accidents and horrible cases of sunburn when the ninth season of hit ITV comedy Benidorm gets underway soon.
Many favourites are making a welcome return, including Mateo (Jake Canuso), Jacqueline (Janine Duvitski), The Maltbys (Johnny Vegas, Elsie Kelley, Selina Griffith), Tiger (Danny Walters) and Joey (Nathan Bryon) and harassed hotel manageress Joyce Temple-Savage (Sherrie Hewson) but familiar faces are turning up again plus a load of guest stars. Here's our exclusive preview of what you should look out for in series nine...
1 Welcome back Sam! Bounding back into the Solana as loud-mouthed as ever is Sam Wood, played again by Shelley Longworth, who hasn’t been in Benidorm since she holidayed there in series five. Sam’s now a rep for Beni-Go Travel with a desk in the Solana reception… and this makes Joyce’s life a complete misery. Joyce hates this ‘common girl’ working out of her hotel and there are some big clashes.
2 A Blow & Go reunion There’s one partnership that’s back on track, however. After his emotional return from Madrid at the end of the last series, Liam (Adam Gillen) is now working at the Blow & Go salon with his hilarious crimper colleague Kenneth (Tony Maudsley). The pair soon find themselves having a run-in with a dodgy dentist played by Nigel Havers.
3 Granny from hell The Dawson family return and this time they’ll be accompanied by the ‘Granny from hell’. Remember Doreen Corkhill in Channel 4's Liverpool soap Brookside? Kate Fitzgerald now plays Sheron Dawson’s mum Loretta, a man-eating 'cougar' granny who loves to chase after drunk young men in the bars of the Spanish resort.
4 Gorgeous George Union J singer George Shelley, who took part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! plays Giles, an annoying university pal of Rob Dawson (Josh Bolt).
5 Psychic convention Amanda Barrie is back as Psychic Sue, who is joined by the mysterious Uri Geller as they attend a psychic convention in town.
6 Maltby mayhem While Geoff Maltby, his sister Pauline and elderly mum Noreen are again holidaying together at the Solana, with the usual stresses and meltdowns, this time Pauline’s boyfriend Malcolm, played by Mark Heap, will turn up to add to the unusual family dynamic.
7 Easy Tiger! Tiger and Joey are back on another lads holiday, always on the look-out to pull. Unfortunately Tiger gets so drunk on his first night there, he has an unfortunate incident with a woman. The pals also get into an adventure at a local dinosaur park…
8 They call it Madness! It’s party time in Neptunes when legendary ska-pop group Madness perform there in the final episode. Suggs and co are likely to bring the house down.
