From roofing to raving. Walsall man Ashley Price discovers what life is really like in Benidorm

Neon signs? Pitchers of blue booze? Wilting Sunday roasts served in 30C degree heat?

Not for Ashley Price.

The sunny Spanish resort has transformed his life, taking him from a sheet roofing apprentice to all-singing, all-dancing entertainer with a beach-front penthouse apartment.

OK, OK, he may have had to spend the first few weeks living on his mate's balcony but life for the 24-year-old life is now as sweet as a bottle of blue WKD. Which you can buy for just €3 in The Rovers Return or Red Lion. Bargain.

Ashley made the move to Benidorm, famed for its skyscraper skyline and cabaret-and-karaoke nightlife, during the economic crash of 2008. His work had dried up and, quite simply, he wanted an adventure.

But, with its reputation for binge-drinking Brits abroad, why Benidorm? And is it really as bad as some people think?

"Things were so depressing at home, I had to get away. I'd been a sheet roof apprentice for two years, travelling up and down the country, but all my work was drying up. I needed to get away somewhere cheap and cheerful – so I chose Benidorm.

"I only went for a two-week holiday but was offered a job while I was out there as a prop, who are the people who give out leaflets and get people into the bars.

"I decided to stay. After all, Benidorm was so exciting, it was alive with the holiday buzz. I loved the excitement of being abroad, this place is like no where else you've ever been.

"I called my mum to tell her my plan and she wasn't too pleased. But I was like 'I'm 18 now, I want to do it!'. I landed home from the holiday on the Tuesday, sold my work van and my car, and went back to Benidorm on the Saturday with €200 in my pocket. I just viewed it as an adventure. Things were so bad back in the UK, so depressing, but Benidorm was booming. It was a great place to be. My mum kept saying 'you'll be back within a month'. Turns out I wasn't back for the next 14 months."

These days, Ashley, a former Willenhall School student from Wiltshire Close, Walsall, is the entertainment manager at the famous Hotel Riudor.

He also hosts a weekday radio show on Cool FM, which has a huge following of UK listeners and has seen him interview the likes of The Drifters and Benidorm actors Tim Healey and Jake Canuso.

The award-winning TV show is now in its sixth series and regularly watched by more than six million viewers. Its influence has fuelled something of a resurgence for the resort, with hotel capacity at its highest in recent years. Obviously, if Benidorm's good enough for Joan Collins, Kata O'Mara and Cilla Black, it's good enough for us.

Speaking of rubbing shoulders with the cast, Ashley, whose mum and brother Sharon and Daniel both live in Brownhills and work at the local TK Maxx distribution centre, said: "Jake's a pal. We go for drinks together and stuff. I've also met Johnny Vegas, he's an unusual chap. I've been an extra in Benidorm too.

"Things are very different now to when I first started out. Back then, I was living on my friend's balcony. I didn't tell my mum at the time because it would just upset her. I was working at the bar giving out leaflets when one day the DJ didn't turn up. I've always enjoyed singing and doing a bit of karaoke so when the manager asked if anyone wanted to step up to the challenge and host the night, I said yes. It went really well and I loved it. Across the road from the bar was the four-star Flamingo Oasis, one of the most famous hotels in Benidorm, one night the manager came over and offered me a position on his entertainment staff. I couldn't believe it.

"And then, three months after that, I was offered the entertainment management role at the Riudor, where I've been for five years. I love it, my confidence has really grown over the years, and I love seeing the regular guests who come back year after year. So many come from the West Midlands. You wouldn't believe it."

But what exactly is it about Benidorm that has captured his heart so?

"It's a fantastic lifestyle," replies Ashley, who lives with his 29-year-old girlfriend, Jaclyn from Ayrshire. "The winter is so short, the weather is fantastic and I have a penthouse apartment looking out over the beach and all of Benidorm. It's amazing.

"I think I will come back to the UK one day, my ambition is to work on UK radio. I want to be like Carl Chinn, he's my hero. But for now I'm happy."

But is he happy with his new home's reputation as a cheap-as-chips package-deal hell?

"The big question is, have these people who say these things about Benidorm being horrible and seedy even ever been? I bet 90 per cent of them haven't," he says.

"It's just a place that has fantastic entertainment – there are 800 bars, 24-hour karaoke and the beer is €1 a pint. The people who look down their noses at that don't know what they're missing. They think they're higher class but I doubt it. Sure, there are acts like Sticky Vicky who does very unusual things on stage but there's something for everyone.

"At peak season, hotel capacity is at the highest it's been for 15 years and that's down to the TV show. People watch it in rainy and cold January and February, they see the actors having fun, doing karaoke and tanning, and they think 'I want a bit of that, I want to go on my jollies'. They're just average people who are a bit fed up and who want to go on holiday – Benidorm the TV show inspires them to book. I fail to see what's wrong with that. There shouldn't be this snobbishness."

"But I do miss home. I talk about things from home on my radio show – things like orange chips from the Black Country. So many people don't know what they are so I was talking about them and then I got an email from Majors chippy in Bilston and people were sending me pictures.

"Do I think about coming home? Well, every year after the annual November fiesta, which is the biggest fancy dress party in the world with 100,000 people, there's always a bit of a depression with the people who live out here. We always say things like 'I think it's time for me to go home and look for a job'. But before you know it, the sun's back out and the season starts all over again.

"I come home once a year to see my mum and brother but home's changed a lot over the years – all the shops have gone! But it's still my home and I love it. I miss the battered chips, playing football on a Sunday afternoon with my mates over Reedswood Park and Greggs sausages rolls. In fact, the first thing I do when I get off the plane in Birmingham is go to Greggs and get a sausage roll. I can't help myself!"