At the time of writing, summer is on the horizon. According to the Met Office, we're in for a lovely and hot bank holiday weekend. If you're lucky enough to be getting on a plane, it's likely to be even more scorching.

Sitcoms are good at showing characters abroad, with many a TV special venturing overseas, including the likes of Only Fools And Horses' Miami Twice; various Birds Of A Feather trips; and One Foot In The Algarve.

What is slightly less common are whole shows set abroad, following the adventures of Brits on the world stage. Such comedies have taken in a range of settings and scenarios over the years, from foreign military installations to holidaymakers, travellers, Foreign Office diplomats, and expats. Each variation gives writers and performers alike a different avenue to explore - and all, of course, with hilarious results!

These shows give characters a chance to get up to lots of hijinks whilst in a foreign setting, from checking out the local casino (if you're looking to gamble online, try Casumo) to ending up on the run from the law.

With the Spanish-set Benidorm rumoured to be coming to an end, we thought it'd be a good time to take a look at five other shows set away from British Isles...

Gap Year

The most recent new title in our line-up, early 2017 comedy drama Gap Year centred on young adults Sean and Dylan's adventures backpacking in South East Asia. Once there, the friends bump into American girls May and Ashley, and the considerably older single Brit, Greg, with whom they end up travelling and forming seemingly unlikely bonds. Having competing visions for their time in the continent, questionable grips on reality, and a range of personal and financial problems back home to deal with - or run away from - the gang caused no end of havoc.

Duty Free

Long before Benidorm's Solana opened its doors, ITV took viewers to the sunny climes of Marbella over the course of three series of Duty Free, a hugely successful and popular mid-1980s series focusing on two couples enjoying the Spanish sun at the same hotel. Keith Barron and Gwen Taylor starred, with Neil Stacy and Joanna Van Gyseghem making up the quartet. The sitcom was written by Jean Warr and Eric Chappell, the genius behind Rising Damp.

It Ain't Half Hot Mum

From sitcom legends David Croft and Jimmy Perry, It Ain't Half Hot Mum was set in colonial India during the closing stages of the Second World War. Running for 8 hit series, it told the story of a concert party whose Sergeant Major was far from impressed with their theatrical bent and determined to give his charges the toughest, most regular-military-like experience possible.

Don't Drink The Water

Another Spanish-set adventure was an On The Buses spin-off from 1974, Don't Drink The Water. Sustaining two series in its own right, the show saw Inspector Blake and his sister (played by the wonderful Pat Coombs) move to begin a new life in the southern European country after Blake's retirement from the Luxton & District Bus Company. Buying a new flat, they hoped to find a life of blissful relaxation in the sunshine, but the reality turned out to be quite different indeed.

SunTrap

Starring Kayvan Novak, Bradley Walsh and Emma Pierson, one-series sitcom SunTrap was broadcast on BBC One back in 2015. Set on a Spanish island, it focused on Woody, an investigative journalist on the run (Novak); his now-retired and very grumpy mentor, Brutus (Walsh); and the bored British beauty and wife of a local crime lord, Melody (Pierson). Woody's attempts to sustain an income, and run-ins with various local gangs, brought the group no end of trouble - and all poor Brutus wanted was a quiet life in the sun.