ITV comedy Benidorm proved a massive hit with viewers throughout its 11-year run, with a dazzling array of holidaymakers checking in to the Solana Hotel.
From swingers to swindlers, sunseekers of all ages would head to Benidorm looking for the best value holidays with hilarious results. The show bagged BAFTA and NTA awards during its run with a starry cast including Johnny Vegas, Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran and Jake Canuso.
Created and written by Derren Litten, 74 episodes of the iconic programme were made in total and Benidorm even inspired a spin-off stage show. But offscreen several cast members and crew would fall victim to tragedy...
'Death' on the operating table
Tim Healy had played Lesley for six years on the show when a mystery illness nearly killed him. It was in 2016 when series nine was being filmed in Benidorm - three episodes in, creator Derren Litten got a terrifying call from Tim's wife Joan.
"He was incredibly unwell," the programme supremo told Cool FM Spain. "She said he was unwell, doubled in pain and can't move. I jumped in my car and went down there. He was in a pretty bad way." Tim was rushed to hospital. "They operated on Tim and it didn't go well at all," said Derren. "He died. He flat lined. They had to resuscitate him. He was in intensive care for a month."
Tim, 72, was airlifted back to the UK, recovering back at home in Wilmslow in time to film series ten. He credits his rock star son with his ex-wife Denise Welch, the 1975's Matty Healy, for waking him up from a coma. "She [Tim's wife Joan] said that while I was in a coma she kept playing my son's music to me, she had his album on a loop," said the actor. "After a few days I started smiling and then I came round, so it was my son's music that brought me back to the land of the living."
Star lost to cancer
Sex mad, Speedos clad swinger Donald was played by Scottish actor Kenny Ireland, who joined the show in 2007 and played the character until he died in 2014. Kenny was 68 when he was written out of the show so he could concentrate on receiving treatment for cancer.
"He was a much loved actor, not only by the cast and crew on Benidorm but by the millions of fans out there," said an ITV spokesperson. "He appeared as Donald Stewart in Benidorm from the first episode and helped play a huge part in its success. He will be greatly missed."
The veteran performer enjoyed a lengthy career on and off stage, serving as artistic director of Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre for more than a decade. He was also known for his frequent appearances in iconic TV show Victoria Wood As Seen On TV and his role in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Costume supervisor tragedy
Michael McGarrigle was a costume supervisor on Benidorm, working with a cast which included pal Tony Maudsley, who played hairdresser Kenneth Du Beke. In January this year, his pal Tony, 56, appealed for information on Michael's whereabouts.
A missing poster explained: "He has been missing for several days, last seen in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Glasgow area. We, his friends and family, are extremely concerned for his safety." Sadly, Michael was later found deceased.
"I'm sad to say we found out late last night that we've lost our beautiful friend," said Tony, who also starred in Coronation Street. "Our whole Benidorm family is devastated and we'll miss him hugely. RIP Michael." A talented designer, Michael's work also included 1991 hit film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and ITV's The Larkins.
Vulva cancer ordeal
Crissy Rock played Solana Hotel manager Janey for four years after overcoming a very rare type of cancer that makes up just 0.7% of cancers in women. Crissy, 65, was diagnosed six years before she joined the show and had to undergo three major operations, reconstructive surgery and chemotherapy.
"The reason it wasn't detected is because normally women go for smear tests but I had an hysterectomy when I was 24," she said. "I didn't think I needed a smear test. When the doctor said cancer I actually looked around thinking: 'Who's he talking to?'"
Crissy left Benidorm in 2011 but made a surprise return in series five, when Janey emerged as the secret mastermind behind the plot to ruin the Solana's reputation. "I was lucky," the actress told the Liverpool Echo. "I was able to have the cancer removed and then reconstructed and I'm still here. But I would love to make more people more aware of cancer of the vulva."
Star's devastating loss
Sherrie Hewson played Joyce Temple-Savage, who became the manager of the Solana Hotel from series five. Sadly, the former Coronation Street star lost her beloved elder brother Brett Hutchinson to an incurable brain tumour.
Brett, 71, had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2019, undergoing two operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. "You never think it's going to happen to you," said Sherrie, 73. "You never think it's going to be part of your family and when it is you don't actually believe it."
Sherrie's brother died in April 2020 after being given 18 months to live. The actress was unable to visit her brother due to the threat of the Covid virus. "I call him every other day but he is very ill and I don't know if he'll come out of this," she said. Speaking after his passing, the star said she drew comfort from her sibling's continued presence. "I can often see him; he often walks with me," she said.