* EnsembleDarkhorse: Leslie, leading to "her" becoming a regular in Series 4.
* HarsherInHindsight: In series 4, Donald pretends to have cancer to fake his suicide, only for him to show up the next series due to him being caught. His actor died of cancer as series 7 was being filmed. Unlike Mel, he didn't die in-universe, [[CharacterOutlivesActor and he is last heard (voiced by a stand-in) on the phone, inviting Jaqueline away from the hotel.]]
* HilariousInHindsight: During series 1, an enraged Geoff screams at his Mum that he wishes he were adopted (among other things) after he loses to the Garveys in the pub quiz. Fast forward to series 7, and he's revealed to have been adopted all along. This would be HarsherInHindsight if not for the fact that Geoff takes this revelation reasonably well.
* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Creator/HannahWaddingham Septa Unella]] from ''Series/GameOfThrones'' is Tonya Dyke.
* TheScrappy: Joyce. Temple. Savage. She would have been a textbook ReplacementScrappy for ousting the fantastic Chrissy Rock (Janey) as the Solana's manageress, but it goes deeper than her just being new. She is nails-on-a-chalkboard annoying, and painfully obsessed with getting the 4-star rating, despite having absolutely no clue what she's doing. Thankfully she doesn't become [[CreatorsPet the Wesley]], because right from the get-go, everyone involved hates her - The staff, the holiday makers...and quite a lot of the viewers.
* SeasonalRot: The first three series are consistently good, though at the end of Series 3 many of the characters are PutOnABus and the show gets considerably DenserAndWackier. Some of the new characters introduced in later series weren't as well received as the original cast either.
* TearJerker: Mel's death.
** Mick's reaction upon hearing about it on the phone. Then Michael, Madge and Janice all crying when Mick tells them.
** The end to Series 3.
** Noreen revealing to Geoff that he was adopted when they're both stuck in a lift.
* TheWoobie: Martin is quite probably the most hard-done-to person in the series, being abandoned by his wife by the end of the second series, and used by another girl in the third.
----