Sunday, August 19, 2007

Number Eighty-Seven

Viewing Pleasures.

Hotel Babylon is a tantalising and seductive insight into the sexy world of the five-star hotel industry, where money not only talks but can buy just about anything you desire!

Inspired by Imogen Edwards-Jones’ searing exposé of life behind the scenes of London’s luxury hotel industry, Hotel Babylon takes viewers on a journey beyond the glamour and façade of the smiling faces and glittering chandeliers and into the frenetic, non-stop world of the staff.

Among the many famous names who’ve checked into the hotel during the first two series, either playing themselves or a character in the show, are Joan Collins, Steven Berkoff, Anthony Head, Chris Moyles, Chantelle Houghton, Kacey Ainsworth, David Walliams, Cherie Lunghi, Jerry Hall, Kelly Brook, Julian Clary, Les Dennis, Russ Abbott and Jennifer Ellison.

Although Hotel Babylon looks as if it’s made in a genuine upmarket boutique hotel, it’s actually shot on a huge set in Buckinghamshire.

The hotel’s look is down to Production Designer Paul Cross, who visited almost every five-star hotel in London in his research.

Hotel Babylon isn’t based on any one particular real hotel. “It evolved as an amalgam of three or four very different hotels,” reveals producer Chris Aird.

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Interview with Tony Basgallop, Lead Writer/Series Creator from the series BBC website.

Tony Basgallop’s, Lead Writer/Series Creator, writing credits include EastEnders and To the Ends of the Earth. He wrote four out of eight episodes of Hotel Babylon, and came up with the storylines that run throughout the series, established the characters and set the tone of the show. He tells us about the process.

What was your first thought on being asked to turn the book into a series?

My first thought was: “How much will they pay me?”. My second thought was: “What if it turns out like Crossroads?”

How did you turn the book, which is really a series of anecdotes, into an ongoing story?

The book was a great research document, and set the style and the tone of the show. But the book is condensed over a twenty-four hour period and so obviously we had to create a world that stretched beyond that.

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. Easy, really.

Hotels are naturally transient environments so stories of the week work well, but we also wanted our main, regular characters to develop over time. Most dramas use this format [an arc plus a story of the week] because it gives the greatest scope for storytelling.

Explaining all the ins and outs of the hotel business must have been a challenge?

The series is narrated by Charlie, the Deputy Manager, as a sort of insider’s guide to hotels. Using voiceover and visual montages meant that we could add detail about the hotel experience without having to force it into strained dialogue.

We always wanted a very slick and visual style to the show, and the montages gave us that. Not every anecdote can make a rounded story, though, and so a lot of great stuff from the book never made it into the series.

Tell us about choosing which characters to focus on.

The choice of characters was largely governed by which parts of the hotel we wanted to show, and who had the most potential for stories. Because we were building the hotel as a set, we ruled out the kitchen early on, so we didn’t need any chefs.

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. Gino the barman, Derek the doorman, and Tony the concierge are all from the book. The book also refers to Jackie from housekeeping, but we never actually met her. So we tried to stay as close to the book as possible.

A lot of the characters are hugely bitchy - do you enjoy writing bitchy dialogue?

The thing about working in a service industry is that you have to be so polite to the guests, always calling them “sir” and “madam”. It’s about presentation.

So when the staff talk amongst themselves they don’t need to be polite and relish the opportunity to speak their minds. 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.

There’s a lot of very saucy moments too.

The naked Finnish couple [in episode one] were fun to write. Obviously there’s a limit to what you can show but the directors will always push things as far as they can.

What was it like seeing the set for the first time?

It was incredible. It’s such a huge, elaborate set. You instantly feel like you’re in an actual hotel, despite it being in a warehouse. The views from the windows are these huge prints of the London skyline which, when properly lit, look very authentic.

Were there any fights between you and the other writers over who got which anecdotes from the book?

No fights, but a few swear words. Toby [Whithouse], Howard [Overman], Harry [Wootliff] and I all got together early on in the process, as I was still writing the first script.

They all got a grip on the characters and had stories of their own that they wanted to tell, as well as their favourites from the book. We approached each episode with a theme, so the anecdotes that best served those themes fell into order.

Did you visit many hotels for research?

Imogen and I went round some of the most renowned five star hotels in London before I started writing. At one place, that shall remain nameless, we posed as a best man and a bridesmaid looking to book a wedding in the hotel. It was incredible. They gave us access to the suites, the banquet halls, the swimming pool, the sauna…

We also stalked a few bars and restaurants just watching the staff do their job. Gino, the barman from the book and the series, is an actual person - though not called Gino.

Which bit are you proudest of?

I’m proud of most of it, in particular having Joan Collins play an obscenely rich guest in episode seven.

You never know if what works on paper will work on screen. After we see how the audience react to series one we will hopefully know how to approach series two.

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Sincerely.
Eve and JW3 and Mélisande
Dirty Girl Things ©
Unrepentant.  Unpretentious.  Unconventional. ©

Next entry: Number Eighty-Eight Previous entry: Number Eighty-Six