john hannah says Benidorm is Murder starts this Thursday with a setting that gives the detective drama a sharper edge than his earlier roles. He said he has already played “13 or 14 TV detectives,” but this one feels different because of Benidorm itself and the characters around the case.
Hannah also said the script avoids cardboard supporting parts. The characters are not just ciphers or figures that move the story on, and that is the real commercial pitch here: a familiar format with a stronger identity built into the setting.
Benidorm as “our own little Vegas”
Hannah described Benidorm as “our own little Vegas,” which is the clearest reason this drama is being framed as more than another entry in the detective lane. He said that when he has played detectives before, including in Rebus and A Touch of Cloth, the role has often depended on the lead investigator; here, the setting and the people in it are doing more of the work.
That distinction matters because a series built around character texture has more room to separate itself from the standard procedural rhythm. If the writing keeps that promise, the show is leaning on atmosphere and personalities rather than simply asking viewers to follow another investigation-by-numbers case.
Sea front filming
Hannah said he expected filming to feel “a lot more raucous,” but the reality was different. “We were filming right on the sea front, and I was surprised how respectful they were,” he said, turning what could have been a disruption into a smoother production experience.
The location itself is part of the draw. A detective show set in a Spanish resort can use movement, noise and public space to create a different tempo from the usual closed-room or suburban mystery, and that is exactly the sort of practical hook viewers can understand before the first episode even airs.
This Thursday on TV
This Thursday is the immediate marker for viewers deciding whether to tune in. The question for the audience is not whether the format is familiar — it is whether Benidorm is Murder can make that familiarity feel less routine by using the resort setting and the supporting cast as the engine of the drama.
Hannah has already set the bar: a detective he has played many times before, a place he says is unlike the others, and a script that gives the characters enough shape to matter. If the series lands that balance, it should look less like another detective show and more like a case built for Benidorm.
