Interview: Benidorm's creator and writer Derren Litten

Award-winning sitcom Benidorm is one of the UK's biggest TV comedy hits in years. As it returns for a third series (Fridays, 9pm, ITV1), we caught up with the show's writer Derren Litten to find out what lies in store this time around...
 
For anyone who hasn’t seen the show already – what is it about?
The show is a comedy about people on holiday in Spain. It could have been set anywhere but I thought Benidorm was a good title. I like one word titles for shows.

What can you tell us about the new series?
The new series is very exciting, for me anyway, because now in the third series I get to write for characters that I know so well now. It’s so great for me to hear, say, Steve or Nick’s voice in my head and know they are going to make my script a lot funnier than it actually is. Also we have some cracking guests including Tim Healy, Una Stubbs, Keith Barron and the legend that is Robin Askwith!
 
You mentioned on Twitter that a main character dies this time around – can you give us any clues?
It’s true I let slip on Twitter that a main character from the show dies. It happens in the final episode and although I realise it’s not exactly “Who shot JR”, I think it’s more fun to let the viewers watch it for themselves.

How did you feel about switching to hour-long episodes for the third series? Was it your idea?
Yes, we have moved from 30min to 60mins.  Well, I say 60 mins, it’s actually around 44-45 mins plus commercial breaks. My late friend and producer Geoffrey Perkins and I spoke a lot about moving to one hour episodes, we didn’t just do it because we were offered it. We eventually decided it was a great way to move forward with the show. I bumped into comedy writer Andy Hamilton (Outnumbered, Drop The Dead Donkey etc) recently and he said he thought it was the dream length for a TV comedy and he knows a lot more about this sort of stuff than me.
 
Keith Barron guest stars in the new series – were you a fan of 80s sitcom Duty Free? (in which Keith starred)
I was a massive fan of Duty Free when I was a kid. I think it was on a Wednesday night and I actually remember getting past the weekend and being distraught that I still had Monday and Tuesday to get through before another episode; needless to say I was a rather lonely child. Years later I had to arrest Keith Barron in an episode of Pie In The Sky, we worked together for about a week and we got on incredibly well. I remember being slightly in awe of him but he just treated me like a regular actor, didn’t patronise me but gave me a lot of advice too. For people who don’t realise what a great actor Keith is I’d recommend you seek out a TV screenplay called Take Me Home, he is incredible in it. I remember saying “see you tomorrow” to Keith, then the schedule changed and he wasn’t called for the next day and it was the last I saw of him. I tried working with him a few times while writing for The Catherine Tate Show but sadly he was never available. Having him in the show is of course a cheeky nod to Duty Free, in fact I cut a line of his that said something like “my wife and I used to spend a lot of time here in the eighties”, but I thought that was a bit heavy handed, the fact that he was in it was reference enough.

Do you think they should revive that series with a ’25 years on’ special?
I think a one-off episode of Duty Free would be amazing, they would have to do it differently, the wobbly sets and studio lighting (it was recorded entirely at Yorkshire TV in Leeds) haven’t aged well in this era of The Office and The Royle Family.
 
Are there any more guest stars you would like to appear in the show?
The great thing with having a popular show is that lots of people have asked to be in it. Unfortunately most of the people I would like in it are dead but maybe I can find a few comedy legends that are still hanging on.  That’s if we do another series of course.
 
What’s your favourite thing about holidaying in Benidorm?
I’ve never actually had a holiday in Benidorm, I’ve always been working there but what I love most is seeing people having a great time and not giving a s**t what people think about them.  Someone once said sing like nobody can hear you and dance like nobody is watching. Now, if only I could learn to do that.
 
Is it fun to film there? What do you and the cast get up to in the evenings?
We have a great time filming in Benidorm. We work long hours, a 14-hour day is not unusual, in fact I’m usually writing extra dialogue and scenes as the episodes are usually too short so a 14-hour day is a short one for me. But when we do have time off we love spending time with each other - sometimes it’s the madness of Benidorm new town, sometimes the tranquility of Altea old town but always together with the cast and crew of ‘Benidorm’ - my new dysfunctional family.
 
Are there any plans for a spin-off featuring the Garveys back in the UK?
Not that I know of. 
 
Will there be a fourth series? Do you think it is a show that can run and run?
I think if we had stuck with 30 minute episodes this would be the last. But now we’ve gone to hour long shows it gives much more scope to get to know the characters better and not worry that I’ve not written a funny line for more than 60 seconds. I reckon there is one more series in this show then that will be it.
 
Do you enjoy chatting to fans of the show on Twitter? Are you addicted to Twitter?
I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to Twitter, I either tweet a lot or not at all.  I’ve not been put in ‘Twitter jail’ yet (where they suspend your account for a few hours if you tweet too much) I don’t read reviews so it’s a good way of judging audience reaction to the show. It’s a bit like a computer (or phone) version of CB radio, talking to people you don’t really know and dipping in and out of conversations. CB radio was always for geeks and I guess I’ve always been a bit of a geek at heart.

Benidorm is on ITV1, Friday nights at 9pm - Watch the trailer below...

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