| Season Number: | 5 |
| Bgcolour: |
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| Starring: | |
| Num Episodes: | 7 |
| Network: | ITV |
| Episode List: | List of Benidorm episodes |
The fifth series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort (The Solana) in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 24 February 2012, consisting of seven episodes.[1] The series was directed by both John Henderson and Sandy Johnson, though was written by Derren Litten, Steve Pemberton and Neil Fitzmaurice.[2] [3] The series saw the returns of Garvey family, consisting of Mick (Steve Pemberton), Janice (Siobhan Finneran), Michael Garvey (Oliver Stokes) and Janice's mother Madge Barron (Sheila Reid); swingers Donald (Kenny Ireland) and Jacqueline Stewart (Janine Duvitski); Noreen Maltby (Elsie Kelly); hairdressers Gavin Ramsbottom (Hugh Sachs) and Kenneth Du Beke (Tony Maudsley); Sam Wood (Shelley Longworth) and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos (Jake Canuso), Les/Lesley Conroy (Tim Healy) and Liam Conroy (Adam Gillen). Sherrie Hewson and Michelle Butterly joined the cast of Joyce Temple-Savage, the new Solana manageress, and Trudy, the new holiday companion of Sam, respectively. Paul Bazely, Kathryn Drysdale and Selina Griffiths did not return; Crissy Rock did not return either, though did make a brief return during the sixth episode.
Initially, Litten did not want to write a fifth series, believing that the fourth series had allowed the programme to conclude on a high.[4] However, due to popular demand, he agreed to write further episodes, with cast member Steve Pemberton, as well as Neil Fitzmaurice, agreeing to help him write episodes and storylines. Overall, the series received an average viewership of 7.06 million, with the opening episode receiving 6.84 million viewers.[5] The series concluded on 6 April 2012, with the series finale attracting 5.66 million.[5]
| Episode | Running time | Original air date (United Kingdom) | ITV SD ratings | ITV HD ratings | ITV +1 ratings | Weekly rank | Rating increase / decrease | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46 minutes | 24 February 2012 | 6.48 | 0.75 | 0.49 | 14 | ||
| 2 | 46 minutes | 2 March 2012 | 6.21 | 0.62 | 0.58 | 14 | ||
| 3 | 46 minutes | 9 March 2012 | 6.28 | 0.73 | 0.55 | 14 | ||
| 4 | 46 minutes | 16 March 2012 | 5.99 | 0.64 | 0.43 | 14 | ||
| 5 | 46 minutes | 23 March 2012 | 5.32 | 0.54 | 0.54 | 16 | ||
| 6 | 46 minutes | 30 March 2012 | 5.83 | 0.65 | 0.42 | 14 | ||
| 7 | 46 minutes | 6 April 2012 | 5.66 | 0.71 | 13 | |||
| Series average | 2012 | 7.06 | 0.66 | 0.50 | — | |||