Well, all holidays must end, and tonight sees our happy campers preparing to leave Benidorm in the certain knowledge that they'll be back next year. But of course no-one's going anywhere until Madge (Sheila Reid, pictured) has trundled down the aisle on her mobility scooter to marry wrinkly Romeo Mel (Geoffrey Hutchings) on Doggers' Beach... or are they?
Sadly, though, this final episode is a bit of a let-down after what has been an exceptionally strong series. Surely the difference between an ongoing soap and a sitcom is that the latter should offer us some resolution (however temporary) at the end of each episode, and especially in the final show of the run?
With a third series clearly in the offing, the producers have been at pains to keep the storylines open for development, with the result that we're rather left hanging in the air. In fact, some might say the plots have started to flag a bit lately, with the unlikely reappearance of Kelly (Niky Wardley) - who would surely be giving the place a very wide berth after her betrayal at the hands of Mateo (Jake Canuso) last year - and the inexplicable introduction not only of her mum but Gavin (Hugh Sachs)'s too.
While these provided memorable cameos from Wendy Richard (who could ever forget the High Noon showdown between her and Madge?) and Margi Clarke, they felt disconnected from the ongoing narrative. What is this thing with people's mums anyway? Perhaps we'll find out in series three.
But niggles apart, series two has been a terrific success. With sharp, laugh-out-loud (and/or reach-for-your-hankie) scripts from Derren Litten, superb casting and excellent performances all round, at its best it's been on a par with the work of Mike Leigh, and that takes some doing. It's also been notable for what it hasn't got: no fancy camerawork, no special effects, no unwarranted music, no laughter track.
So hats off to all concerned. Why not award yourselves a nice break - an all-in week in Benidorm, perhaps? My towel's already on the sunbed in anticipation of the next run. Delia Pemberton
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