Mateo Castellanos

Jake Canuso was part of the original Benidorm cast, gaining the role of Solana barman Mateo Castellanos.^[1] Discussing the initial role of the Solana staff, with the only other original staff member besides himself being Janey Yorke (Crissy Rock), Canuso stated: "When Benidorm started, it was all about the holiday makers. This series is quite dominant on the staff as well and there's more in the reception, salon and the pool. It's very balanced."^[2] Despite portraying a Spaniard, Canuso himself has a natural English accent, having moved to the United Kingdom from Switzerland as a young boy.^[3] Considering the audience's perception from his portrayal of Mateo, Canuso reflected, "A lot of the audience mistake me for Spanish. I'm tanned. My hair is dyed darker. I'm good with foreign accents because I was brought up in Switzerland with people speaking German, at home we spoke Italian, and we had French from a very young age."^[2]

Introduced in the first series, Mateo is characterised by his persistent womanising and lack of emotional attachment, frequently pursuing guests regardless of their relationship status. Early storylines include an affair with Kate Weedon (Abigail Cruttenden), which leads to conflict with her husband Martin Weedon (Nicholas Burns), establishing a recurring pattern of confrontations with jealous partners.^[4] He also has a brief sexual encounter with Troy Ganatra (Paul Bazely), in which they are caught in the act by Janice Garvey (Siobhan Finneran), which ultimately fractures Troy's relationship with Gavin Ramsbottom (Hugh Sachs).^[5]

Across subsequent series, Mateo continues a series of casual relationships and affairs, including with Brandy (Sheridan Smith) and Natalie Jones (Kathryn Drysdale). These encounters often result in comedic misunderstandings and physical altercations, reinforcing his reputation among both guests and staff. His short-lived engagement to colleague Kelly (Niky Wardley), whom he demonstrates no loyalty towards, is the catalyst to a recurring feud with frequent holidaymakers Donald (Kenny Ireland) and Jacqueline Stewart (Janine Duvitski). Despite occasionally expressing affection, Mateo rarely demonstrates long-term commitment and is frequently depicted forgetting previous relationships entirely.

In addition to his romantic exploits, Mateo is involved in numerous workplace storylines at the Solana, where his laziness and inappropriate behaviour bring him into conflict with management. Under managers such as Joyce Temple-Savage (Sherrie Hewson), he is occasionally given increased responsibility, though this typically leads to further disruption rather than personal growth. Nevertheless, Mateo develops a close friendship with Les Conroy (Tim Healy), with the pair often sharing scenes that highlight a more loyal and supportive side to his character. Despite having initially engagement in a rivalry over Les' positive work ethic, Mateo softens towards him when Les helps save Mateo's job in the fourth series.^[6]

Later series introduce elements of Mateo's personal life, including references to his family and brief attempts to change his behaviour or leave Benidorm. However, these developments are usually short-lived, and he ultimately returns to his role at the Solana, resuming his established patterns. Throughout the series, Mateo functions as a consistent source of comic tension, with his storylines largely revolving around repeated cycles of seduction, deception and the consequences of his actions.

Following the introduction of new Solana manageress Joyce Temple-Savage (Sherrie Hewson), Hewson reflected on the dynamic between her new character and Mateo: "There are scenes in which Joyce is blatantly flirting with him. She gives him the looks that say, 'I know what you think of me and I totally understand. But I'm very experienced, so you'll be in safe hands'. Of course, he's not in love with her – he's terrified of her! It gets very embarrassing, but very funny. She fancies Mateo, though. Who wouldn't? He's too gorgeous for words."^[7] Despite Radio Times commenting "Joyce despises poolside lothario Mateo", during an interview with the magazine, Hewson discussed her close off-screen friendship with her co-star: "I'm very close to Jake Canuso. I mean, who wouldn't be, given half a chance?"^[2]

Whilst previewing the ninth series, Canuso spoke about Mateo's feud with returning character Sam Wood (Shelley Longworth): "Nobody gets on with her she's a bitch. Mateo and Sam have past history where she thought she was having a little do with Mateo. He dislikes her because she uncovered the whole three kids, Miguel thing, all of that. So the first few episodes are very much about their dislike of each other and she kind of has one over him because she’s sort of detached from the hotel."^[8] Delving further into the nature of their characters' relationship, Canuso considered the insulting nature between their exchanges: "The other thing is, she talks about throwing something and Mateo says 'The only thing you'd want to do with you is throw you off the roof!' He's so cruel and vile. They are both incredibly thick skinned, his ego is huge. He loves himself so much that you can throw anything at him. I don't know how many times he gets called 'old and leathery skin'. It's like water and oil, whatever! The same with her, he just insults her."^[8]

Canuso reprised his role of Mateo in Benidorm Live, a major theatre adaption of the programme.^[9] Beginning in September 2018, over 200 shows were scheduled to take place in various locations throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[10] Reflecting on the show's transition to stage, Canuso stated, "We did it live at the Royal Variety and we were nervous because we weren't used to that interaction with a live audience. But as soon as the theme music came on there was a roar from the audience, followed by cheers and laughter, and we knew we'd got it right. The live show takes it all to another level, but it still has the pathos and warmth within the comedy. It's a nod to Fawlty Towers and the Carry Ons, the classic comedies people love all over the world."^[11]