Benidorm

Jake Canuso (Actor) .. Mateo

Born: January 13, 1970 in Near Zurich

Best Known For: Playing barman Mateo in Benidorm.

Early-life: Born Carmine Canuso near Zurich on January 13, 1970 to Italian parents. By the age of 16, he was the youngest member of Zurich's leading contemporary dance company. He performed on the stage and in TV shows in Paris before spending a year in London training at the London Studio Centre. After finishing the course, he trained and performed in New York. He returned to Paris and got to work with Roman Polanski in a piece at the Opera de Bastille.

Career: After settling in London, Canuso danced on tour with a number of artists, including Take That, East 17, Elton John, the Spice Girls and Annie Lennox. He also performed on various TV shows such as the Les Dawson Show, the Royal Variety Performance and Top of the Pops. Canuso eventually made the move into acting and his TV credits include guest appearances in Hustle, Heartbeat, Casualty, Doctors, Shameless, The Hour and Bad Education. He is best known for playing barman Mateo in ITV sitcom Benidorm. On the big screen, he has appeared in Kinky Boots (2005), Journal of a Contract Killer (2008), City Rats (2009) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Quote: On his Benidorm character: "I don't think there are many similarities between me and Mateo actually. We are quite far apart as people."

Trivia: He speaks six languages.

Kathryn Drysdale (Actor) .. Natalie

Janine Duvitski (Actor) .. Jacqueline Stewart

Best Known For: Waiting for God, One Foot in the Grave and Benidorm.

Early-life: Born Christine Janine Drzewicki in Morecambe in June 1952 to an English mother and a Polish father. She moved to London to train as an actor at the East 15 Acting School. Her first TV credit was an episode of Z Cars in 1972. After finishing her training and despite being in her early 20s, she landed the role of a 13-year-old girl in the 1975 BBC play Diane. Her big break came in 1977 when Mike Leigh cast her in his stage play Abigail's Party. She went on to play the same role in an abridged TV version for the BBC.

Career: Duvitski has worked steadily on TV in a number of shows, popping up in the likes of Citizen Smith, Minder, Cowboys, The New Statesman, Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War and Little Dorrit. Her face is better known to audiences as prudish assistant Jane in Waiting for God, Victor and Margaret's neighbour Pippa in One Foot in the Grave and swinger Jacqueline in Benidorm. She has also appeared on the big screen in Dracula (1979), Breaking Glass (1980) and The Madness of King George (1994).

Quote: "People really do seem to believe I'm a swinger!"

Trivia: Duvitski enjoys reading when she's not filming.

Siobhan Finneran (Actor) .. Janice Garvey

Adam Gillen (Actor) .. Liam

Tim Healy (Actor) .. Les/Lesley

Born: January 29, 1952 in Newcastle upon Tyne

Best Known For: Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Early-life: Timothy Malcolm Healy was born on January 29, 1952, in Newcastle upon Tyne. Before becoming an actor, he served an apprenticeship as a welder at the Caterpillar Tractor Co and spent three years as a paratrooper in the British Army. He started his showbusiness career in 1972 as a stand-up comedian.

Career: After a number of minor roles on TV, his big break came in 1983 when he landed the part of Dennis Patterson in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. The hugely popular comedy drama returned for a second series in 1986 and further new episodes were broadcast in 2002 and 2004. Healy has been an ever-present face on British TV since the success of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and he has appeared in a number of shows, including Boys from the Bush, Common As Muck, The Grand, Catterick and Coronation Street. Healy has also had an accomplished stage career. He was a founder member of Live Theatre in Newcastle in the 1970s and he has played everything from Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk to Sir Toby Belch in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his role as the dad in the West End version of Billy Elliot. He played transvestite Les/Lesley in the third series of ITV sitcom Benidorm and became a regular in series four.

Quote: "I love the freedom that a bike gives you, the open road. Plus, when I´ve got my helmet on, nobody knows who I am."

Kenny Ireland (Actor) .. Donald

Born: August 07, 1945 in Paisley

Best Known For: Being an actor and theatre director.

Early-life: Kenny was born in Paisley in 1947. His first TV credit was an episode of crime drama Strangers in 1980. He went on to become a regular fixture on TV, popping up in the likes of C.A.T.S. Eyes, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Life Without George. He also starred on the big screen in Local Hero (1983).

Career: Ireland had a notable career in the theatre, spending 10 years as the director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company in Edinburgh. His stage directing credits included Guys & Dolls, Much Ado About Nothing, Of Mice and Men, Waiting for Godot and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Always in demand as a character actor, his TV credits included guest appearances in Drop the Dead Donkey, House of Cards, Taggart, Monarch of the Glen, Heartbeat, New Tricks and Midsomer Murders. He played swinger Donald Stewart in ITV comedy Benidorm between 2007 and 2014. He died on July 31, 2014 at the age of 68 following a long battle with cancer.

Quote: "Filming Benidorm is like a big holiday. All your friends want to come out and visit!"

Trivia: When he was not directing or acting, Ireland enjoyed playing backgammon.

Shelley Longworth (Actor) .. Sam

Tony Maudsley (Actor) .. Kenneth

Born: January 30, 1968 in Kirkby, Merseyside

Best Known For: Playing hairdresser Kenneth in Benidorm.

Early-life: Tony was born in Kirkby, Merseyside, on January 30, 1968. He trained to be an actor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. His first acting role was in the 1998 TV movie A Life for a Life.

Career: Maudsley made his film debut in Plunkett & Macleane (1999). His other film credits include Sleepy Hollow (1999), Honest (2000) and Born Romantic (2000). He is largely known for small parts on TV. These have included roles in the likes of Coronation Street, Queer as Folk, Where the Heart Is, Peak Practice, Rose and Maloney, and Doc Martin. He has had recurring roles on In a Land of Plenty, Eyes Down, The Royal and The Job Lot. He is perhaps best known for playing hairdresser Kenneth in Benidorm and Grawp in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

Quote: On filming Benidorm: "It was like being on holiday. It's friendly, there's so much to do."

Trivia: He won a Royal Television Society Best Newcomer award for his role in A Life for a Life.

Steve Pemberton (Actor) .. Mick Garvey

Born: September 01, 1967 in Blackburn

Best Known For: The League of Gentlemen and Benidorm.

Early-life: Steve James Pemberton was born on September 1, 1967, in Blackburn, Lancashire. He first realised he wanted to be an actor while still at school, and his first role was playing Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank at the Chorley Little Theatre - although he admits he was the only boy who auditioned. Following his A levels, he gained a Theatre Arts degree from Bretton Hall College in Yorkshire, where he met Reece Shearsmith and Mark Gatiss who, along with Jeremy Dyson, became The League of Gentlemen.

Career: Pemberton began his professional career on stage, but suffered a setback when he had a heart attack at the age of 25 while working in Germany. He went on to feature in Ken Russell's Alice in RussiaLand in 1995, but it was The League of Gentleman that was his first major success, first on radio, then on TV and film. He also appeared in the remake of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Gormenghast, Shameless, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and Blackpool. The latter co-starred David Tennant, and the duo were reunited in 2008 for a two-part Doctor Who adventure. Other projects include the Woody Allen film Match Point, Lassie, Psychoville, and Benidorm.

Quote: On his favourite League of Gentlemen character: "I miss Pauline from the job centre the most. It was scary when I put on the costume and the wig and the lips. It was like being possessed."

Sheila Reid (Actor) .. Madge

Born: December 21, 1937 in Glasgow

Best Known For: Playing the perma-tanned Madge Harvey in Benidorm.

Early-life: Sheila was born in Glasgow on December 21, 1937. She made her TV debut as an assistant librarian in a 1960 edition of Armchair Theatre. During the 1960s she starred in two National Theatre productions directed by Laurence Olivier, The Crucible and Three Sisters.

Career: During a long and distinguished acting career, Reid has balanced roles on the stage with guest appearances in a wide variety of TV shows, including The Sweeney, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, All Creatures Great and Small, Taggart, Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Casualty and Doctor Who. She has also starred on the big screen in Brazil (1985), Felicia's Journey (1999) and The Winter Guest (1997). Fame came to her late in life thanks to her role as mobility scooter-driving chain-smoker Madge Harvey in the hugely popular ITV sitcom Benidorm.

Quote: On her success in Benidorm: "It is constantly surprising to me but it's very nice to be appreciated and it has been huge fun to play Madge."

Trivia: While her character in Benidorm is always puffing on a cigarette, Reid is a non-smoking vegetarian who practises yoga every day.

Hugh Sachs (Actor) .. Gavin

Crissy Rock (Actor) .. Janey York

Oliver Stokes (Actor) .. Michael Garvey

Cilla Black (Actor) .. Herself

Born: May 27, 1943 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Having a lorra lorra laughs.

Early-life: Born Priscilla Maria Veronica White in Liverpool on May 27, 1943. Her father was a docker and her mother ran a market stall. The family lived close to the city's clubland, which formed the foundations of her successful career. While working as a typist at age 20, she earned extra cash hanging coats at The Cavern. She also gained valuable exposure as a singer, with her friends pushing her to perform.

Career: Black appeared alongside classic Merseybeat bands and was soon signed by the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. She went on to have 20 hits worldwide. Just before Epstein died in 1967, he had secured a deal with the BBC for Black to front a variety show, which launched her TV career. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she released some of her most innovative albums, while presenting various TV shows and performing on stage. She moved to ITV, where dating game Blind Date became her longest-running programme. Black also appeared on Surprise, Surprise!, Moment of Truth, Cilla Live, Soapstar Superstar and Gok's Fashion Fix. In 2013, ITV celebrated Black's 50 years in showbiz with the one-off special The One & Only Cilla Black, which was hosted by her close friend Paul O'Grady. Black died at her holiday home in Spain on August 1, 2015. She was 72.

Quote: "TV chose me. I just wanted to sing and make hit records."

Trivia: Black married her manager Bobby Willis in 1969 and they had three sons. Bobby died of cancer in 1999.

Neil Fitzmaurice (Actor) .. Lucky Kev

Born: August 20, 1969 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Playing Jeff Heaney in Peep Show.

Early-life: Neil Simon Fitzmaurice was born in Liverpool on August 20, 1969. One of his earliest acting roles was in the soap opera Brookside, in which he played Greg Sinnott.

Career: Fitzmaurice is known for acting, comedy and writing. Some the acting roles he is best known for are in comedy series, including Ray Von in Phoenix Nights, Jeff Heaney in Peep Show and Fergus in Mount Pleasant. However, he has also appeared in drama series, such as Buried, The Bill and Little Boy Blue. Fitzmaurice was also a writer for Phoenix Nights, That Peter Kay Thing, Benidorm and feature films Going Off Big Time and Charlie Noades R.I.P.

Quote: On Peep Show: "I still get stopped all the time by people saying ‘oh it's Jeff, we love Jeff' because he's such a nemesis of Mark's and he's such a little swine that he has a lasting impression on people."

Trivia: He won the Liverpool Echo Comedian of the Year award in 1996.

Denise Welch (Actor) .. Scary Mary

Born: May 22, 1958 in Ebchester, Co Durham

Best Known For: Being a former Loose Woman.

Early-life: Born Jacqueline Denise Welch on May 22, 1958, in Ebchester, Co Durham. Her father ran the now defunct Welch's Toffee Company and also performed as a drag act, and her mother was a nurse. Denise enjoyed acting in school productions, but was all set to go to teacher training college until her father and drama teacher convinced her to apply to the Mountview Theatre School instead. She studied there for three years, and began winning stage roles shortly after graduation.

Career: Denise starred in a variety of hit TV dramas including Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Byker Grove, Soldier Soldier and Spender before landing the part of Natalie in Coronation Street in 1997. She stayed on the soap opera for four years but left when she discovered she was pregnant with her second child. She was asked to present This Morning following the departure of Richard and Judy, but turned the offer down. She went on to make appearances in TV shows The Vice, Born and Bred, and Down to Earth, before joining the cast of Waterloo Road. The actress has also hit the charts with the singles You Don't Have to Say You Love Me and Cry Me A River. She was a panellist on Loose Women between 2002 and 2013. In August 2013, she was a contestant on ITV's dancing reality series Stepping Out.

Quote: "I do know that I feel a better wife and better mum the way I lead my life now. That's the wonderful thing - I have two fantastic kids and we're doing really well."

Trivia: Her autobiography, Pulling Myself Together, was published in 2010.

Derren Litten (Writer)

Sandy Johnson (Director)

Ben Cavey (Producer)

Sophie Clarke-Jervoise (Executive producer)

12:05 am - 01:00 am, Today on That's TV (56)

About this Broadcast

Season 4, Episode 2

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