THE STORY SO FAR: Shane Richie

Shane, 54, is currently playing naff entertainer Sammy Valentino in the Spain-set comedy Benidorm (9pm, ITV); here’s how he became an established small-screen star…

In the beginning: He was born Shane Patrick Roche on March 11, 1964, in London’s Kensington.

Catching the bug: He was a member of a youth theatre as a child, but got his first real taste for show business in 1981 when he got a job as a bluecoat entertainer at the Pontins holiday camp Little Canada on the Isle of Wight.

Making the rounds: Shane progressed to the live comedy circuit – he received a nomination for Best New Stand-Up at the inaugural British Comedy Awards in 1990 – and his act caught the attention of Sky TV, where from 1989, he would appear nightly on the chat show series Jameson Tonight, hosted by Derek Jameson. He made the jump to terrestrial television the following year

in the BBC1 sketch show Up To Something!, which was cancelled after just one series. Front and centre: Throughout the next decade, he established himself as a presenter, first with children’s game show Run The Risk, before moving into the mainstream to host Caught In The Act, The Shane Richie Experience,

Win, Lose Or Draw and Lucky Numbers.

Soap stardom: In 2002, Shane joined the cast of EastEnders as Alfie Moon, a role he has played on and off ever since. After leaving Albert Square in 2016, he starred opposite Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon) in the EastEnders spin-off Redwater in 2017, and has since confirmed that he’ll be rejoining the cast of EastEnders in the summer.