Inside ‘King’ of Benidorm’s wild life from clubbing with TV stars to TikTok bans

Another British bloke in Benidorm, hardly ground-breaking stuff, right?

Well, this one Cornish native isn’t just any old geezer living it up in the sunny and wallet-friendly Costa Blanca seaside city. Nigel Pope just so happens to be the ‘King of Benidorm’.

Although he hasn’t found his place on the throne through being of the royal Spanish bloodline, the 62-year-old barman is sitting firmly on his golden pedestal thanks to his content on the boozy hotspot.

READ MORE: Brit nicknamed ‘King of Benidorm’ insists ‘locals love us’ after tourists told ‘go home’

Check out the latest Real Life stories from Daily Star

Though, when we say pedestal we mean his backside. And when we say backside, that’s Nigel unique nickname for his apartment balcony.

So, who really is this ‘King of Benidorm’? How can one humble man come to have such a title? And, most importantly, will he be able to keep the crown he is trying so hard to protect?

Let’s find out.

Who is the King of Benidorm?

Nigel Pope is originally from Cornwall but switched the countryside for pouring cold ones on the Benidorm strip.

After getting divorced from his wife of 30 years, he packed his bags and headed straight to the airport to start a new life – and landed himself a wife in the process.

Despite not being able to speak Spanish and now-wife Nancy not being able to speak English at the time, the pair managed to get past the language barrier to pursue their feelings for each other.

The couple have been inseparable since and have learnt to understand more than just their body language.

Nigel lives with Nancy in their apartment where he often films himself eating off his ‘backside’, which is another term for balcony. It might not be as regal as the Buckingham Palace royal balcony, but it suits this ‘King’ and his cornflakes just fine.

What does he do?

Unlike most Kings, Nigel can’t live off nepotism and limitless amounts of money from a blue-blooded family line. But what he does have is consistency and craic.

He’s managed to rack up more than 100,000 collective followers on his four TikTok accounts where he regularly posts his Benidorm tour guides.

From the mundane ‘best bus stop routes’ to taking viewers for a ride around the boozy strip (quite literally on his mobility scooter), Nigel knows all the ins and outs of Benidorm.

He’s so popular that Brits even make the 960-mile pilgrimage to come pay their respects to the ‘King’, whether that be grabbing him for a selfie or joining him for a round or five.

And, he’s even been featured on Channel 5’s Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun.

Just because Nigel is nearing retirement, it doesn’t mean that his dancing shoes have been banished to the back of the wardrobe. It’s not uncommon for him to rub shoulders with other Benidorm ‘royalty’.

He’s been seen ‘clubbing’ with Jake Canuso and Oliver Stokes – the stars of hit ITV show ‘Benidorm’.

But despite his position of power Nigel doesn’t have a lot in his treasury. He doesn’t make a massive income from TikTok, but it does supplement his barman job.

TikTok might not provide him the gold to compete with other monarchies, but it’s given him many a loyal subject.

Will his power last forever?

Unfortunately for Nigel, his reign has been wobbled by a number of forces – one of them being social media powerhouse, TikTok. After four years of posting and livestreaming on TikTok, Nigel has run into a spot of bother with the platform.

He previously opened up to the Daily Star about how he’s been struggling to provide Brits with their ‘Benidorm fix’ because he’s suffered a bout of bans and account restrictions that he says have been ‘wrongfully’ given.

Despite contacting TikTok to assist him with getting his accounts back to full force, Nigel claims that he only receives automated messages.

Although he did get some progress with one account where he was told it would be ‘fully reinstated’, the ‘King’ hasn’t had much luck.

Nigel believes he’s been the target of ‘jealous’ trolls who want to overthrow him.

Another thorn in his backside is the Spanish government. With recent tensions bubbling in the likes of fellow holidaying hotspot Tenerife, some locals have become disgruntled with Brits who want a slice of the Spanish seaside cake.

After the Spanish Government announced potential plans to take ‘serious’ action on “over tourism” and lack of public housing, he shared what the mood was like in Benidorm.

And he admitted the locals love Brits, especially Nigel. Like any true leader, the ‘King’ is unflappable and is “not worried at all about my future in Spain, or especially in Benidorm.”

For now, Nigel is continuing his ‘reign’ as the British ‘King of Benidorm’.

Yet, distaste for British expats and tourists continue to grow on the streets of Spain – even if the locals have made Nigel one of their own.

You can find Nigel on TikTok, here.