Benidorm is Murder stars John Hannah as former detective Dennis Crown, who relocates to the sunny spot and gets quickly drawn back into investigating when tourists start turning up dead12:17, 21 Jul 2026Updated 08:09, 22 Jul 2026Channel 5’s new detective drama is perfect for Death in Paradise fans.‌The crime series titled, Benidorm Is Murder, shares similarities to the BBC hit show as it was written by show boss Ian Jarvis, while Simon Delaney takes on the role as lead director.‌John Hannah leads the cast as a former detective Dennis Crown, who relocates to the sunny spot and gets drawn back into investigating when tourists start turning up dead.‌Dennis swaps "the chaos of the UK for a quieter life running a bar in Benidorm" and starts his detective work again after dead bodies emerge and he's assisted by sidekick Rosa, played by Carolina Bécquer.The actress takes on the role as an aspiring actress-turned-waitress obsessed by vintage TV crime shows, references every detective from Miss Marple to Columbo as they set about solving the mysteries that land on their doorstep.‌Fans of Death in Paradise, and its various spin-offs, will notice a familiar array of suspects’ pictures lined up, in this case on the dartboard in Dennis' bar.It all seems a very deliberate homage to the detective genre. Speaking to RadioTimes, John said the show is like “the Easter eggs in the Marvel world, tipping the wink to the viewer about things gone before. And Rosa’s character is very meta with all her TV talk. We just decided to lean into it and embrace it.”The synopsis for the show adds: "With Dennis' real-world experience and Rosa's encyclopaedic TV knowledge, each episode sees the duo tackling a new murder in paradise, whilst trying to remain on the right side of the local Spanish cops.”‌The first look photos show a glimpse of the duo in action, alongside Benidorm's policing team, the formidable DS Maria Hernandez, played by Ariadna Cabrol, and her new PC Jesús Ballesteros played by Damian Schedler Cruz.Leading star John previously described Benidorm is Murder as a "gem of a show, filled with joy and humour". He continued: "But there's a balance of comedy and serious emotional weight to the stories, which is testament to the writing.‌"We have such a brilliant cast on this, everyone is pitch perfect for their roles, and I can't wait for viewers to meet Carolina who was born to play Rosa."Rounding out the main cast is Brian Bovell, who plays Benidorm enigma Archie, a philosopher, a poet and a permanent fixture at Dennis' bar.the series also features Ariadna Cabrol and Damian Schedler Cruz as well as guest stints from EastEnders' Tamzin Outhwaite and impressionist Alistair McGowan.Article continues belowBenidorm Is Murder is coming to 5 on Thursday, July 30