Benidorm Live arrives at The Alexandra in Birmingham

And West Midlands fans can look forward to an extended run of the show when it plays Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre from Monday until December 29.

The production will feature Jake Canuso (Mateo), Janine Duvitski (Jacqueline), Adam Gillen (Liam), Sherrie Hewson (Joyce Temple-Savage), Shelley Longworth (Sam), Tony Maudsley (Kenneth) and Neptune’s very own Asa Elliott while Derren will also feature as Derek.

The smash-hit ITV comedy is set to bring sunshine and smiles to the Second City in the stage debut production of the hugely popular TV show. And the production has been so popular that it may even be turned into a movie.

Derren has written an all new set of Alicante escapades for the much-loved cast members as they swap sangria for the stage – after a quick spruce up at the Blow ‘n’ Go.

Tony Maudsley, who has played Kenneth DuBeke since 2011, says the production has been an unqualified success. “We’re having a great time. We’re surprised it’s a massive hit. When we were filming the show we didn’t know what sort of reaction it would get.

“But to see it play live and see people giving us a standing ovation every night is incredible. The audience blew the roof off when we started and we haven’t not had a standing ovation since we opened. Everybody loves a good night out in Birmingham, the city is always up for a party. I did Hairspray here three years ago so I know that we’ve landed and can look forward to an amazing month at the New Alex.”

Tony says fans identify with the characters in Benidorm and have a real connection with them.

“We realise how much people love it by being on the road. The audiences have known these characters for ten years, since the TV show started. Derren’s a big fan of Carry On films and I think people have missed that sort of postcard humour. They want that slip on a banana. Derren has made Britain laugh again and that’s why the show has been so popular.”

TV series take months to film and members of the cast get to know one another well off screen. Tony says the crew and cast of Benidorm become like a big family – so it’s been great for them to meet up again so that they can take the show on the road.

“It’s really good fun making the programmes. We all know each other so well. We’ve a very big, very dysfunctional family. We have our fights and our fall outs but we’re all very loyal to each other. We’re very protective of each other. There’s nothing better than coming on tour with my Benidorm family. We know who needs time on their own, who needs company and we really look out for each other.”

The show is unlikely to return to the nation’s TV screens after ITV decided not to commission an 11th series. Tony thinks the TV company was wrong. “I think they’ve made a really bad decision, I don’t think they’ve looked at their viewing figures. We had the highest figures for five years. They might change their mind. I think they should think again. I think the show has more life in it. The reaction from people on tour is that they don’t want it to finish.

“We are mobbed every time we go to a new town or city by fans at the stage door. A lot of theatres are saying they don’t see anything like it. We have extra security outside. There’s absolute chaos.”

Fellow star Sherrie Hewson has seen it all during her many years in such TV shows as Coronation Street, Loose Women, Emmerdale and Crossroads. But Benidorm tops the lot. In the most recent series, she starred as long-suffering Solana boss Joyce Temple-Savage, who married Shropshire actor, John Challis, who played Monty.

“I think the wedding was one of the best episodes ever. For me, of course, it was the best ever. Mateo’s speech was something people will never forget. People now use that at weddings. Derren should get money for that; he should be on a royalty.

“I loved the whole thing. We had five days on Peacock Island, which sadly for us coincided with the mating season for the birds. So we were bombarded by seagulls who were thinking we were stealing their eggs. We all got dropped on by the seagulls upon. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever done. We laughed from morning until night. And I fell in love with Tony Hadley. We all fell in love with Tony Hadley. Everybody loved Tony. His voice is amazin‑g.”

Sherrie says the move from TV to stage has been a revelation and it’s been great fun for members of the cast.

“Derren wrote a brilliant script and it was so popular when we previewed it at the Royal Variety thing. There was total fear. Our hearts were out of our chests. But the audience went crazy. We were just gobsmacked. The tour has like been amazing. It’s been incredible. This is our thank you to the fans. We did ten years on telly. We’re saying goodbye to them and to each other. This, to be truthful, is just so amazing. We never expected the response. It’s been phenomenal. Even the theatre producers have never seen this before. There will not be another TV series but we’re hoping there might be a film. That would be the icing on the cake.

“The last series had almost as many viewers as Corrie, so the public still wants it. It’s an absolute phenomenon.”

Andy Richardson