Your TV week sorted: Benidorm is Murder, the return of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown plus Netflix’s Lockerbie bombing drama
From tribute acts to bingo fanatics, sunburnt tourists to raucous hen parties, Benidorm is full of larger-than-life characters – which makes it the perfect setting for a new crime drama.
John Hannah, who estimates he’s played ‘13 or 14 TV detectives’ in everything from Rebus to the spoof A Touch of Cloth, certainly thinks the setting is what sets Benidorm is Murder apart from a lot of other detective shows.
John Hannah plays a burnt-out cop-turned-struggling bar owner in Benidorm Is Murder
He says: “Director Simon Delaney said to me very early on, ‘If you think some of the characters in the script are a bit odd, wait till you get to Benidorm.’ He was dead right.
“And I think the characters are written in a way that they are not just ciphers or something that just moves the script on or here comes your funky weird character that is going to be a hoot. Benidorm is a different world to those other shows. This is our own little Vegas.”
If some regular Benidorm visitors are bristling slightly at what they may see as a stereotyped view of the Spanish resort, don’t worry. John points out that filming on location was a much smoother experience than he anticipated. He says: “I think I was probably expecting it to be a lot more raucous… Whenever you are filming anywhere and there are crowds and there is drink involved everybody always wants to shout something and get involved. We were filming right on the sea front, and I was surprised how respectful they were.
“People were having a good time and loving it. There was a lot of happiness and that brings a certain energy to the show.”
Benidorm Is Murder, which starts this Thursday, is one of our five unmissable shows that you don’t want to miss on TV this week…
Ruth Madeley plays Dr Gabriele Fox in intriguing new thriller The Rapture
SERIES
The Rapture: BBC1 on Sunday at 9pm
It’s been a busy month for actress Ruth Madeley – fresh from an appearance on Who Do You Think You Are?, she now takes the lead role in this intriguing new thriller. She plays Gabrielle ‘Gabs’ Fox, a clinical psychologist for adolescents. Her patients include 17-year-old Bethany Krall (India Amarteifio), who was sectioned two years earlier for the brutal murder of her mother, Carys. The case shocked the nation, not least because Bethany’s father, Leonard Krall (Sam Hazeldine), is the leader of a spiritual movement with millions of online followers. Bethany insists that not only is she is innocent, but that she can also foresee the future. Intrigued, Gabs begins to dig further into the Kralls and the circumstances surrounding Carys’s death. But is the psychologist righting a possible miscarriage of justice or just falling for a teenager killer’s manipulations?
Property and design enthusiast Tinie Tempah follows homeowners as they unleash their inner architect in Extraordinary Extensions
LIFESTYLE
Extraordinary Extensions: Channel 4 on Wednesday at 8pm
Artist and property developer Tinie Tempah returns to follow more brave homeowners as they build bold, boundary-pushing extensions in the hope of transforming their homes into something truly extraordinary. He joins Nadine and Chris, a couple of art deco obsessives as they try to transform their typical London terraced home into a Great Gatsby-inspired 1920s palace. He also meets James and Jenny who are risking the picture perfection of their thatched cottage in the Norfolk Broads by adding an experimental eco-extension, inspired by their love of sailing. Other homeowners featured in this series include Surrey couple Naz and Alicia, who gamble £3.5million to turn their home into a Marbella-inspired luxury party resort, as well as KJ and Mike from Canterbury, and Amy in Nottinghamshire.
Deeply moving, the Bombing Of Pan Am 103, with Connor Swindells as DS Ed McCusker, streams on Netflix. The six-parter relives the largest murder investigation in the history of Scottish policing.
SERIES
The Bombing of Pan Am 103: Netflix from Thursday
On December 21, 1988, the Boeing 747 Clipper Maid of the Seas took off from London’s Heathrow Airport, setting a course for New York. However, while flying above the Scottish town of Lockerbie, a bomb in its hold detonated, killing all 259 people on board, as well as 11 on the ground, making it the deadliest terror attack in British history. The events of that terrible night and its aftermath are recalled in a new six-part drama, which can be seen on Sunday and Monday evenings for the next three weeks. The story focuses on the Scots-US investigation and the devastating effect the bombing had on the residents of Lockerbie, as well as the families around the world who lost loved ones. Peter Mullan, Eddie Marsan, Kevin McKidd and Tony Curran are among the cast.
Starring John Hannah, Benidorm is Murder is a new crime drama where the sunny Spanish resort turns unexpectedly deadly
SERIES
Benidorm Is Murder: 5 on Thursday at 9pm
It’s been the setting for a hit sitcom and ‘Brits abroad’ documentary series, but now Benidorm is providing the backdrop for a new light-hearted crime drama. John Hannah heads the cast as disillusioned former cop Dennis, who now runs a struggling Scottish bar in the Spanish resort. It turns out his sleuthing skills can still come in handy though, especially in the opening episode when Darren, the ‘Robbie’ in a Take That tribute act, tells his bandmates he’s leaving. ‘Gary’, aka Steve, threatens to kill him, so when Darren’s body is subsequently found floating in a swimming pool, it seems like an open-and-shut case. However, aspiring actress and barmaid Rosa is convinced the local police have got the wrong man and asks Dennis to get involved in the investigation.
Jimmy Carr hosts anarchic game 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown with the help of Susie Dent, left, and Rachel Riley
COMEDY
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown: Channel 4 on Friday at 9pm
There was alarm a couple of years ago when it was announced that Channel 4 was ‘pausing’ filming of the hit comedy quiz show mashup. Luckily, it turns out that paused wasn’t just a euphemism for axed, as it’s now back for a new series. It begins with something of a Celebrity Traitors reunion as guests Nick Mohammed and Joe Wilkinson join resident experts Susie Dent and Rachel Riley. Meanwhile, Jon Richardson and Harriet Kemsley take on Rob Beckett and Richard Ayoade, and Jimmy Carr tries to keep order.
