The original child stars of Benidorm have stepped back into the public eye, years after first capturing hearts on the hit series. On Wednesday, ITV fans were delighted to see Hannah Hobley and Oliver Stokes reunite on Loose Women.
During the appearance, Oliver, now 26, looked back warmly on his days playing young Michael Garvey. The actor, who now looks unrecognisable, shared memories of spending up to three months at a time in Benidorm during filming – with a private tutor ensuring he kept up with his studies for around five hours each day.
After Benidorm wrapped, Oliver chose a quieter life away from fame and has since embraced fatherhood. When the series first aired in 2007, Oliver was just eight years old, portraying Michael alongside Hannah, who played his sister Chantelle.
Following Oliver and Hannah’s appearance on Loose Women, fans flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their disbelief at how much time had passed and how grown up the two actors have become.
“OMG Michael Garvey from Benidorm has grown into an absolutely gorgeous young man,” one gushed. “I’ve never felt so old watching Loose Women after seeing the Benidorm kids all grown up,” another echoed.
Earlier this month, Derren Litten, who is the mastermind behind Benidorm, revealed that he is in discussions with ITV for a new chapter of the hit comedy series.
Buzz has been building over the past several weeks, hinting at the sitcom’s much-awaited comeback after seven years off-air. Now, the creator himself has hinted that there might be substance to the swirling rumours.
During a Facebook Live session, Litten responded to recent whispers – which have been fanned by none other than actress Sherrie Hewson. “Sherrie does this rumour every couple of years, and Sherrie says that the show is coming back, and she is not s*** stirring, she is hopeful because she loves the show as much as I do,” he divulged.
Litten – who co-wrote The Catherine Tate Show – then teased: “If I say ITV have not commissioned a new Benidorm series, it is because ITV have not commissioned a new Benidorm series, up to today. Does it mean they might commission a new series in the near future? Possibly. Have I been talking to ITV in the last few months? Yes I have.”
The comedy genius continued his heavy hints, concluding: “Have ITV commissioned a special or a series at the moment? No. Might they in the next few weeks, couple of months? Yeah they might. They might. So I hope that gives you some hope, and I hope that gives you some idea of where we are.”
Litten was addressing Sherrie’s comments last month, when the star – who played hotel manager Joyce Temple-Savage on the show – shared how “wonderful” a return would be and how much she “desperately” misses it.
The ITV icon suggested that something may have changed for Benidorm, saying that “now” more than ever there was hope of its revival. “There’s this thing of, ‘Is it coming back?’ and I keep that alive. It is now a possibility and that would be wonderful because we all miss it desperately,” she gushed.
Benidorm was dropped by ITV after its tenth season in 2018, but considering its success there’s been chatter about the show’s potential revival for a while.
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