John Hannah stars in the new detective series from Channel 511:08, 27 Jul 2026A brand new detective drama perfect for Death in Paradise fans starts this week.Benidorm is Murder is the latest offering from Channel 5, the cosy crime series stars A Touch of Cloth's John Hannah, who plays a former detective who relocates to the sunny spot, only to be drawn back into investigating when tourists start turning up dead.The drama comes from Death in Paradise writer Ian Jarvis and starts on Channel 5 on Thursday, July 30 at 9pm. John Hannah plays ex-detective Dennis Govan, while Carolina Bécquer takes on the role of his unlikely sidekick.Like Death in Paradise, Benidorm is Murder will also have a string of guest stars, including Denise Welch, Alistair McGowan and Tamzin Outwaite.A synopsis for the series reads: "Dennis is a burned-out ex-police officer hiding behind a failing Scottish pub in Benidorm. Rosa is an aspiring actress, obsessed with classic British crime shows, who talks her way into his bar, his investigations, and his life."Together, they're the last people anyone would trust to solve a murder — which is exactly why they keep solving them. Set in the glorious and chaotic Benidorm — tribute acts, bingo queens, hen parties, sunburnt tourists and bar owners hanging on by a thread — Benidorm is Murder treats its setting as a beating heart, not as a punchline."Each episode delivers a fresh puzzle: clues, twists, a satisfying solution, and a corner of this febrile resort that turns unexpectedly deadly. Watching with exasperated admiration are sharp Spanish inspector Maria and puppy-ish young cop Jesús, who grudgingly learn to value the pair's instincts even as they roll their eyes at their methods."But the deeper Dennis and Rosa dig into Benidorm's underbelly, the more his past claws its way back. When an old enemy walks into The Tavern and a lock-in ends with blood on the floor, Dennis becomes the number one suspect in a murder mystery even he might not be able to solve."Benidorm is Murder also stars Ariadna Cabrol, who stars as the formidable DS Maria Hernandez, and Damian Schedler Cruz in the role of PC Jesús Ballesteros.The Bill's Brian Bovell plays Benidorm enigma Archie, a philosopher, a poet and a permanent fixture at Dennis' bar, while Eva van der Gucht plays Jackie.Sharing what working on shows such as Death in Paradise has helped him learn, Benidorm is Murder writer Ian Jarvis, said: "I’ve written three episodes of Death in Paradise and two of Beyond Paradise. What I learned is that writing these kinds of shows is harder than it looks. It is sort of like playing a game with the audience."You are setting them a puzzle to solve. You must play fair. You must give them every opportunity to try to solve it. You can’t pull any rabbits out of hats in the final act."But at the same time, if they do solve it then you’ve lost. Doing all that in the space of one hour onscreen, in our case 50 odd minutes, and at the same time hopefully writing interesting, different guest characters and, in our case, making people laugh as well.Article continues below"What I learned was to play by the rules but also to be rigorous with the stories."Benidorm is Murder starts on Channel 5 on Thursday, July 30 at 9pm.