• [Daily Mirror Icon]
• TV
• TV News
• John Hannah

Benidorm is Murder star John Hannah's life off-screen with famous actor wife of 20 years

John Hannah, known for A Touch of Cloth, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Rebus and Cold Blood, stars as ex-detective Dennis Govan in Channel 5's new drama

[John Hannah plays ex-detective Dennis Govan]

View 4 Images

John Hannah plays ex-detective Dennis Govan(Image: Channel 5)

John Hannah is back on screens tonight in Benidorm is Murder.

The new Channel 5 drama comes from writer Ian Jarvis who worked on episodes of Death in Paradise and its spin-off Beyond Paradise.

Described as a "cosy crime" thriller, Benidorm is Murder will see John play ex-detective Dennis Govan, who relocates to Benidorm in retirement, only to be drawn back into investigating when tourists start turning up dead.

He begins to solve murders with his unlikely sidekick, Rosa, played by Carolina Bcquer, an aspiring actress, obsessed with classic British crime shows, who talks her way into his bar, his investigations, and his life.

[John Hannah plays Dennis and Carolina Bcquer plays Rosa]

View 4 Images

John Hannah plays Dennis and Carolina Bcquer plays Rosa(Image: Channel 5)

Speaking about his character, John said: "I mean he is broken. Hes sitting on the side-lines in this bar, not sure what hes doing, not really trying to make anything happen because hes tried that, and it all failed.

"Hes found a bush and hes crawled into it. Hes miserable. But given the breaks hes had staying out of the sunshine drinking beer seems like a decent way to go. And then like life, when you least expect it, something happens and Rosa walks through the door. Shes the catalyst for everything that happens, and she is fantastic."

Dennis Govan is one of many detectives John Hannah has played, but what else has he starred in? Here's everything you need to know about the actor.

John Hannah TV roles

[Benidorm is Murder starts on Channel 5 this week]

View 4 Images

Benidorm is Murder starts on Channel 5 this week(Image: Channel 5)

As mentioned above, Dennis is just one of many detective roles John has played, which include starring as Sergeant Murray in Sandokan, Jack Cloth in a Touch of Cloth and Inspector Rebus in Rebus.

Speaking about how Dennis measures up to his other detective roles, John said: "Ive played 13 or 14 TV detectives. We counted them up. I think Dennis has got a better sense of humour than most of the characters Ive played. DI Jack Cloth in A Touch of Cloth was funny, but he didnt know it.

"There were times with this where I felt I was almost getting a little bit Cloth-like. But where Jack never knew he was being ridiculous and that was what was funny I think Dennis has a sense of humour, albeit perhaps a black sense of humour. He takes his joy where he can find it, a little bit like myself."

Alongside his detective roles, the Scottish actor is recognised for the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA, The Mummy series, Spartacus, Sliding Doors, Damaged and Overboard.

He starred as Jed Bishop in Transplant, Steven Grover in The Victim, Dr Archie Watson in Trust Me, Made in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and Holden Radcliffe in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

John is also the narrator on BBC's Race Across the World.

Who is John Hannah's wife, Joanna Roth?

[John Hannah]

View 4 Images

John Hannah is married to Joanna Roth(Image: BBC)

Away from his glistening career, John is married to actress Joanna Roth after meeting her at the National Theatre when they played opposite each other in Measure For Measure. John reminisced on their first encounter while talking about working with his co-star Brian Bovell, who plays Archie in Murder is Benidorm.

He shared: "I worked with him [Brian] a few years ago on a lovely little film called One Night in Bath. Also, I worked with Brian at The National Theatre studio, 36 years ago, which is where I met my wife, Joanna. We were all in this Shakespeare workshop. It was very nice to see him again. It was lovely to have that connection."

The famous couple tied the knot in 1996 and share twins Gabriel and Astrid, now 22. John revealed that Joanna visited him on the set of Benidorm is Murder.

He said: "My wife came out for a couple of weekends. That was nice. I was working quite hard. There is a lot of dialogue. Its a dialogue-heavy show."

Joanna is known for playing Ophelia in the 1990 film Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Television roles include playing Helen Kennedy in Two Thousand Acres of Sky, Judge Newland in New Street Law, Bridget Manuel in In Plain Sight and Jessica Peterson in Damaged.

She has also done quite a bit of voiceover work, including on the video games Final Fantasy and Dragon Age.

Benidorm is Murder starts on Channel 5 on Thursday, July 30 at 9pm.

[Daily Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.