Benidorm - Series 1 - Region 2 DVD

A comedy programme that slipped under many people’s radar, Benidorm puts an all-inclusive holiday destination at the heart of its setup, and then sets about filling it with a collection of fascinating characters. So you have the quiz kings for starters, along with a pair of mature swingers. There’s a standard-ish stereotypical family, a gay couple on holiday to celebrate, and a squabbling married pair too. It’s a broad ensemble, and this proves to be one of the many qualities of the programme.

However, also in Benidorm’s favour are some witty scripts, plenty of not-for-the-kids dialogue and a lot of belly laughs. All six episodes from the first series are collected here, and while the laughs don’t always constantly flow throughout, the hit count is certainly high. And given the lack of quality fresh British sitcoms of late, Benidorm proves to be quite a collectors item. It might not, on the basis of this first series, be on the way to being a flat-out comedy classic, but there’s so much enjoyment in the episodes here that a second series is hard to resist. --Jon Foster