There’s a mix of fresh and familiar faces as Benidorm returns to ITV for a new seven-part series on Monday, January 11 (ITV, 9pm).
Tiger Dyke’s now holidaying with a mate Joey and What’s On TV went on set to catch up with Tiger himself, Danny Walters, and Nathan Bryon, who’ll be having some equally crazy Benidorm adventures as Joey…
Danny, how do you feel now Tiger is the last Dyke left holidaying in Benidorm?
Danny: “I’m very lucky to be back because the cast changes almost every year, but I’m holding on, keeping the Dyke legacy going.”
Tiger’s now at the Solana with his dim mate Joey when the series starts… How’s their holiday going?
Nathan: “They're mates finding a lot out about each other as they go along."
Danny: “The two are just a typical mates. There’s so much banter between them. They're just lads on holiday, fooling around and having a great laugh."
Nathan: “They’re not gross or not rowdy lads.”
Danny: “Tiger was never like that. He started off in Benidorm very mischievous, streetwise, but quite aggressive towards his mum and dad, but now he’s on holiday with his mate you see a different side to him because it’s just fun."
So who gets all the girls?
Danny: “Tiger thinks he’s got it all,but he fails every time.”
Nathan: “We try hard and we go to ultimate lengths, but there’s definitely a bit of bromance going on between them.”
Has any girl caught their eye?
Nathan: “There’s someone who’s caught their eye, yeah.”
Danny: “There’s a new member of the bar staff, Amber, and we try to impress her. We both think we’ll get her and it’s a battle between us. We’d do anything. We’ve always got Mateo ruining things of course because he’s the hot good-looking guy mature Spanish, so we’re a bit dull compared to him.”
While filming in Benidorm, did you go out for a night out on the town together?
Danny: “A few times!”
Nathan: "Danny’s like the Beckham of Benidorm, but with me it’s like, who’s his friend? Our nights out in Benidorm are just mental.”
Danny: “Fans of the show like to get the gossip. They realise Nathan’s a new character so want to know more.”
Do you both get to perform at Neptune’s in the series?
Nathan: "I’m performing there in a mankini! But it was a ladykini. I was nervous as hell. I have to whip off my trousers and shake my butt. My girlfriend’s family are going to watch that and they’re going to see far more than they should!”
Nathan, do you have a comedy background?
Nathan: “Comedy is my thing. I do YouTube sketches. I just love making other people laugh.”
Danny: ‘We’re like a dumb and dumber or a dumber and dumber! It’s a great double act.”
Any great locations to film at this time?
Nathan: “A biker bar, and in the mountains.”
Danny: “It’s a lot of fun. We’re at the Benidorm Palace. Beach scene, us tidying up the beach because we get in trouble with the police.”
Has Tiger developed as a character without his family?
Danny: “Definitely, you see a much more individual side and you actually see his personality. In series six when Tiger led Michael Garvey astray you started to see that he’s cheeky, naughty and likes to get into trouble. Last year you saw a more romantic side to Tiger, but this year he’s single again now, so you actually see what Tiger’s all about."
How far away is Tiger from Danny?
Danny: "I have to say there are aspects of him in me. I sometimes base my old personality, there were times when I used to be cheeky towards my mum, so I base that on aspects of T. Sometimes the banter we have is the banter I have with my friends."
And is Nathan like Joey at all?
Nathan: “I’ve been on a lads' holiday and I got up to loads of crazy things and that’s good because it’s helped me portray Joey with Tiger authentically. I definitely have Joey moments like when I went to the gym and cracked the wall with some weights, then to fix it I got a poster and just stuck it over, but there’s CCTV and it’s not like the owners are not going to recognise me with my Afro!”
Danny: “This guy came up to me and I tried to play dumb, I tried to do a Tiger on him and be a bit cheeky. We basically had to face the music and Nathan had to pay 20 euros!”
Benidorm begins on Monday, January 11, ITV at 9pm
