sawadee khap granpa.
I returned from deepest Issaaann… 18 months ago with license expired after living in LOS for five years.
As others have said you only need a medical to get your license back.
DVLC do a live chat which I found very helpful if you have any questions.
As for your DCPC the benefits agency paid for mine. It was a week of getting back to work skills first aid, health and safety interview skills CV writing etc and then the week for CPC.
I was dreading the two weeks in a classroom but I did learn some useful stuff and my new employer was impressed with the certificates they provided.
If you didn’t already know you won’t be able to claim any benefits for 3 months as you have been out of the UK for too long.
Chock Dee and good luck.