Is Benidorm really cancelled? “The honest truth is I don’t know” says creator

Have we seen the last ever episode of Benidorm? You’d be forgiven for assuming the series was coming to an end after a tweet sent by its creator, Derren Litten, on 29th April…

Crazy to think Wednesday will be the last episode of Benidorm! I created the series over 11 years ago, wrote it, guest starred in it and ended up directing it. It's difficult to think what else there is to do! Thank you for watching! #MuchasGracias ???? pic.twitter.com/WQmdaIG4i4

— Derren Litten (@DerrenLitten) April 29, 2018

Fans reacted to the news in their masses, mourning the loss of their favourite TV series with more than 1,000 tweeters commenting on the ‘cancellation’.

I am proud to have been part of a show that made so many people so happy. Thanks for the laughs Derren. Looking forward to your next one… and the live show! xxx

— Paul Bazely (@PaulBazely) April 30, 2018

@LivAlice14 No way last episode ever ????this cannot be.. I'm crying

— ROSIE-MAÉ ???????? (@rosiefranklin67) May 1, 2018

Gutted to hear this – I’ve loved the series from the start. Really shocked

— The Timelush (@tammytastic69) May 1, 2018

The language in Litten’s message was cryptic – he never stated that it was the final ever episode – but his decision not to correct fans who jumped to that conclusion all but confirmed it, especially when he sent more tweets stoking his suggestion that ITV would air no more episodes.

Too drunk to tweet. All I can say is pic.twitter.com/qdXRccroZa

— Derren Litten (@DerrenLitten) May 2, 2018

Meanwhile, Benidorm fans were left confused on the day of the series finale (Wednesday 2nd May) when star Jake Canuso sent a message of his own, suggesting the series may not be ending after all…

Its WEDNESDAY!!! The day of the @BenidormTVshow 9PM on @ITV This last episode of the current series is fun packed with laughs and guest stars!!! You’re in for a treat! It’s been a great series. One of my favs! Is there a next series? I’m saying nothing ????#benidorm #Benidorm10

— Jake Canuso (@JakeCanuso) May 2, 2018

Ten hours later, he bewildered viewers further by tweeting “see you next series”:

Hope you gonna enjoy the last episode of series 10 of @BenidormTVshow starring the one am only @DerrenLitten as Elvis #Benidorm see you next series ????

— Jake Canuso (@JakeCanuso) May 2, 2018

Litten had refused all media requests in the build-up to the series finale, but granted an interview to West Midlands radio host Alex Lester the morning after.

When questioned about his original post, Litten explained it was “the kind of tweet I’ve done every year” to mark the series finale. “And then somebody said the last episode ever and I didn’t put that”.

He added: “Obviously it’s not a case of mistaken identity but when people said, ‘This is the last episode ever’, I’ve got to admit I didn’t correct them.”

• Benidorm creator says ITV series will end for good this Wednesday

So, will it return? “The honest truth is I don’t know,” said Litten. “Every year ITV tells us if they want another series. We’re doing a live stage tour and this has been booked in for well over six months so ITV knew they didn’t have to make a decision quickly. They knew we can’t film as we usually would in March of this year because I’ve got them on the road.”

The stage tour is due to take place from September 2018 until April 2019, so it remains to be seen if Benidorm will return to screens. An ITV statement says “no decision has been made about a further series”, and thanks to the live production, there is no need for them to make a call for the foreseeable future.

“The live show is taking up a lot of my time and I’m really enjoying that,” said Litten. “We’re just had auditions.”

He added that he’s also doing a pilot for the BBC: “I’m doing one of those for a show I can’t talk about a lot because we film it at the end of this month.”