| Created 2007..08.21; Updated 2007.08.21 |
Review by Robin Rowe [More
articles ]
2007.8.15
Rating: 3 stars ***
BBC America, Wednesdays, 9-10pm PST
Hotel Babylon has come to America after two successful seasons on the BBC. The attraction of Hotel Babylon is life there appears perfect in an imperfect world…and the staff works hard on perfection. The opening sequence and cinematography are superb, setting the tone of an elegant hotel. The story centers on Charlie Edwards, a man ready in the premiere to do whatever it takes to be promoted from reception to deputy manager. Actor Max Beesley delivers Charlie with the right mix of aloofness, ambition, loyalty, and sometimes MacGyver-like ingenuity for getting out of sticky situations.
Max Beesley and Tamzin Outhwaite
Charlie’s scheme to secure his promotion is to steal the musicians of a famous rock band as guests from a rival hotel. They’re sure to ring up lots of charges. Unfortunately, the band’s manager has a firm grip on the purse strings. Having cleared a whole floor for their exclusive use, by using a fake electrical outage to move existing guests, Charlie discovers the band isn’t buying anything. Meanwhile, Charlie faces competition for the job from an old flame, Anna (Emma Pierson). And, his overbearing boss Rebecca (Tamzin Outhwaite) is difficult and never goes home. Charlie tricks the band into throwing an expensive party and becomes deputy manager.
Emma Pierson and Natalie Mendoza
Hotel Babylon is a drama, a comedy and a soap opera. There are too many story threads in each episode to list here. Head of housekeeping Jackie (Natalie Mendoza) demands personal room inspections from Charlie, with the emphasis on personal. Super-concierge Tony (Dexter Fletcher) prides himself on being able to fix anything anytime. Of a dozen capable actors in the ensemble cast, one to watch is Michael Obiora, who plays Ben in reception.
Dexter Fletcher and Michael Obiora
Max Beesley, who started as a musician, didn’t always want to be an actor. "I was back in Manchester from being off somewhere on the road, and my dad showed me Raging Bull one night, and it changed my life", says Beesley. "I decided there and then I wanted to be an actor. So I phoned someone I’d met at the MTV Awards who knew De Niro and coaxed her to find out who his acting coach was." He then rang Sheila Grey in New York, said he was doing theater on Broadway, and asked if he could have a class with her. He flew out, stayed for a year, and spent all his money. After a year back in England unemployed he landed a role in the BBC drama Tom Jones, then Bodies, an in-your-face medical drama.
Martin Marquez
Tamzin Outhwaite, who was Mel in EastEnders, is married to fellow actor Tom Ellis of Doctor Who. "I’ve had a really busy year, but I am always happiest when I’m working", says Tamzin. "When great, fun parts come along, like Rebecca in Hotel Babylon, it’s hard to walk away from them. And of course the costume designer made sure my character was dressed in the finest suits, including Armani, Paul Smith, Prada, Jimmy Choo and Dolce & Gabbana."
Author Imogen Edwards-Jones wrote the book Hotel Babylon based on her interviews with an anonymous manager of one of London’s top hotels. "What I wasn’t expecting was how secretive this world would be or quite how materialistic", says Edwards-Jones. Doing her research took a year. At first the manager didn’t wouldn’t say much, but later became more trusting. "I’d come to the hotel, we’d meet in reception, I’d have a drink in the bar. Eventually we ended up booking into suites in his hotel for the afternoon, ordering up refreshments on room service. Although quite what the staff thought their boss was doing, in a suite, with a woman, in the middle of the day, is anyone’s guess. But then again they are used to that sort of thing."
Lead writer and series creator Tony Basgallop also wrote EastEnders and To the Ends of the Earth. He created the storylines and characters and set the tone of the show. "In terms of week-by-week storylines the trick was to always find a way of introducing self-contained stories that not only involved the guest, but also emotionally involved the regular member of staff", says Basgallop. "Using voiceover and visual montages meant that we could add detail about the hotel experience without having to force it into strained dialogue. Our two main characters are management, which allows them access to pretty much anywhere, and always keeps them in contact with the guests and the staff. And yes, I particularly enjoy the bitchy dialogue. Which is why I created the character of Anna, the head receptionist who wasn't in the book."
Luxury hotels are decadent pleasures and so is the television series Hotel Babylon. Filmed in the U.K. in a warehouse in Buckinghamshire by Carnival Films.
Images copyright BBC. This review originally appeared in the British Weekly.