Sherrie Hewson calls for Benidorm film

Sherrie Hewson has said hit sitcom Benidorm would make a “wonderful film”.

The 73-year-old actress, who played Joyce Temple-Savage for six series, said she thinks it would translate well to the big screen.

The show, about holidaymakers and staff at the Solana all-inclusive hotel in Benidorm, Spain, over the course of a week each year, ended in 2018 but has found new fans on Netflix.

Hewson told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Everybody in the world watches it now. I mean, everybody stops in the street and says we just want it back.

“It would make a film, I think, and you could bring people from everywhere, that have ever been on Benidorm, and their stories back together.

“I think it would be brilliant, and it would be two-and-a-half hours as opposed to half-an-hour.

“I think it would very funny. So that’s what I’m up for.”

Hewson added that creator Derren Litten “loves the idea”, adding: “It’s not for me to say. He’s a brilliant writer and I know he would write the most wonderful film.

“The music makes me smile and, in these days we are living in now, you need it.”

A Benidorm film would follow in the footsteps of shows including Downton Abbey and The Inbetweeners, which have both made the leap to the big screen.

Hewson, who is also known for soaps including Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, paid tribute to the legacy of her former Corrie colleague, Helen Worth, who has announced she is leaving the role of Gail Platt after 50 years on the cobbles.

She said: “It does deserve some recognition, that is extraordinary.”

Describing the work that goes into performances on soaps, Hewson said: “I hate them being called soap actors – they are not, they are actors. They are the most extraordinary places to be – you take home five scripts a night and you’ve learned them by the next morning.

“They are wonderful actors, they deliver the most incredible performances like that. It’s extraordinary to watch.”