Benidorm’s Liam Shocks Fans With Dramatic Transformation—What’s He Up to Now?
Can you believe it’s been almost 20 years since Benidorm first splashed its sun-soaked chaos onto our screens, making us all wish for an all-inclusive holiday at a resort that definitely oversold its star rating? Sometimes I wonder—where do TV characters go after the resort closes and the credits roll? While most of us have been muddling through the daily grind, the cast of the legendary ITV sitcom has been off living their own sequels. Names like Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran, Johnny Vegas, and Sheridan Smith once turned the mundane into the madcap, but none stuck quite like Adam Gillen’s Liam: handyman-turned-hairdresser and possibly the only bloke to make a ginger mop look salon-chic.
And if you thought you spotted him at your local West End show but just couldn’t place him—well, it turns out life after Solana Resort has come with a few major plot twists, surprise romance, and a radical make-over or two. Why does real life never come with a laugh track? Dive in if you’re curious about what happens when the curtain falls and the wigs come off—this is one reunion you won’t want to miss. LEARN MORE.
It’s been nearly two decades since Benidorm first landed on our screens with its iconic characters having their yearly all-inclusive holiday at the Solana Resort.
Running for a whopping 10 seasons, the ITV sitcom created by Derren Litten starred the likes of Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran, Johnny Vegas and Sheridan Smith.
In season four, we were introduced to Liam Conroy (Adam Gillen) as the son of Les (Tim Healy) and he remained with the cast until the show ended in 2018.
The character became one of Benidorm’s most popular, first working as a handy man at the Solana before becoming a hairdresser at the resort’s Blow ‘n’ Go salon.
And nowadays, Gillen looks almost unrecognisable from Liam, having married one of his co-stars earlier this year.
He’s been treading the boards of the West End lately. (Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Earlier this week, the actor celebrated press night at London’s Old Vic for the revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy How the Other Half Loves.
Donning a chocolate brown suit, Gillen was a far-cry from the ginger-haired Liam with white-blonde hair and moustache.
He told The Stage that he’s ‘always wanted to work’ at the iconic theatre. “It’s a rite of passage in many ways,” he added.
Gillen had had quite a string of roles since appearing in Benidorm and it’s fair to say it can often take a minute to realise it’s actually the same person.
Following the legendary sitcom, the now 40-year-old has appeared in the likes of Vita & Virginia, Boat Story and Criminal Record.
He did reprise the role for the UK tour of theatre show Benidorm Live but has had a lengthy stage career.
In 2019, Gillen was nominated for an Olivia Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Killer Joe.
The actor has also taken to the West End as The Emcee in Cabaret and as Thenardier in Les Misérables.
It’s almost hard to believe it’s Liam. (Instagram/adam_gillen)
A piece of Benidorm certainly lives on in his personal live though, having married co-star Laila Zaidi earlier this year.
She joined the show in 2017, for its final season, as Rob Dawson’s (Josh Bolt) girlfriend Cyd. The actor is also known for her roles in Doctors and Ackley Bridge.
Gillen and Zaidi met during filming and began dating a year later, they then got engaged in 2023.
The couple got married at Hackney Town Hall in London back in January, before a ceremony abroad in March, sharing pictures from the special day to Instagram.
As for what Gillen will do next, he’s pretty open as he spoke to The Stage for press for his current performance in How the Other Half Loves.
Asked what role he wants to play, he explained his policy of taking ‘things as they come’ in his career.
“I enjoy things coming my way, and I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to suggest anything myself anyway,” Gillen said.
“I like the joy of being surprised and challenged by roles.”
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