Demolition of Hi-de-Hi! hotel begins

The Cliff Hotel was home to Hi-de-Hi! cast members during filming of the sitcom

A hotel which hosted stars of 1980s sitcom Hi-de-Hi! during filming has begun to be knocked down.

The Cliff Hotel in Dovercourt, Essex, is being demolished and redeveloped as a 61-room hotel and apartments.

Cast members stayed at the site between 1980 and 1988 while shooting the comedy series, which was filmed at Warner's Holiday Centre at Dovercourt Bay.

Su Pollard, Ruth Madoc and Paul Shane were among the stars of the show.

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The BBC sitcom was set in a fictional holiday camp called Maplins and revolved around the lives of entertainers.

Stars of the hit comedy normally stayed in the hotel during filming each September and October

Work to remove the building has been under way for several months and earlier this year wage slips belonging to a carpenter were found while removing the dance floor.

Su Pollard, who played chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw and always stayed in room 11, has been among several cast members to share their affection for the "beautiful" hotel.

"I am glad a hotel will still be there, as it's a prime site. That's comforting to know," she told the BBC earlier this year.

Hi-de-Hi!... Ho-de-Ho

• The show was written by Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft

• It was inspired by Perry's experience as a Butlins Redcoat following the war

• It ran from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988 and was initially set in the fictional seaside town of Crimpton-on-Sea, Essex, in 1959

• Set in fictional holiday camp Maplins, the series revolved around the lives of the camp's staff and managers

Each cast member had a regular room at the hotel