NORTH-East actor Tim Healy will return to ITV comedy Benidorm for its next series after a sudden illness saw him drop out of the show last year.

Production has now begun on a tenth season, due to air in 2018, which will see Healy take back his role as loveable cross-dressing hotel worker Les/Lesley.

The 65-year-old, best known for playing Dennis Patterson in the television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and more recently has appeared as Gastric in Still Open All Hours, opposite Sir David Jason, was taken ill while shooting series nine in Spain and spent several days in a coma.

Healy, who was born in Newcastle and was an early member of the Live Theatre Company on Tyneside, will be joined by returning co-star Shane Richie, reprising his role as entertainer Sammy Valentino for four episodes.

Meanwhile, Only Fools And Horses star John Challis will become a series regular as the character Monty Staines and comedy duo Hale & Pace will star as undercover detectives.

But while many familiar faces will return to the show, Johnny Vegas, Paul Bazely and Danny Walters will be missing from the credits.

The channel's comedy commissioner Saskia Schuster said: "Benidorm is very much part of the ITV family with viewers taking these wonderful characters to their hearts.

"Show creator, writer and exec producer Derren Litten has some great plans for the tenth series and it's a real treat to welcome Hale and Pace and Shane Richie to the Solana resort."