List of Hotel Babylon episodes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hotel Babylon is a television show produced by the BBC. Each episode is one hour long, although rebroadcasts in other countries are edited for length. Each episode also begins and ends with a short comment from the main character, Charlie Edwards, outlining that episode's theme. The program has enjoyed three series, so far.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired |
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1 | 8 | 2006 |
2 | 8 | 2007 |
3 | 8 | 2008 |
[edit] Season 1: 2006
# | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate |
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1 | "Episode 1" | Tony Basgallop | Alrick Riley | January 19, 2006 |
Charlie is interviewed by Rebecca (Tamzin Outhwaite) for the job of Deputy Manager. Later he realises he has a rival, Anna (Emma Pierson), with whom he has some history, and who proves to be a clever and formidable opponent. On the plus side, the beautiful Head of Housekeeping Jackie (Natalie Mendoza) has started inviting him to assignations in guests' bedrooms. He must prove his worth and this involves manipulating a world famous rock band into spending as much money and trashing as much of the hotel as possible. Thanks to their hard-nosed manager Nina (Rachael Stirling) things don't exactly go to plan at first, but when she assaults one of the chambermaids, Charlie takes matters into his own hands. With the help of the rest of the staff, Charlie organises a surprise party to teach her a lesson, and extract as much money as possible from the band. Rebecca meanwhile, is clearly having troubles of her own - she is avoiding going home. Charlie eventually gets the job but is dismayed to find that Anna has taken his old post of Head Receptionist. And his troubles don't end there - he is been spotted by a suspicious limousine driver who claims to know him and implies he has something to hide. |
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2 | "Episode 2" | Tony Basgallop | Alrick Riley | January 26, 2006 |
Unfortunately for him, Rebecca puts him in charge of keeping suicidal guest Mr Machin (Anthony Head) alive, while concierge Tony has to deal with the repercussions of mistaking a legitimate guest for a hooker. But this is the least of his worries as Rebecca's re-branding of his job has severely rocked his confidence. The staff help an elderly ex-worker celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary, forcing Rebecca to reflect on her own marriage. Meanwhile, shady limousine drive Pete (Craig Kelly) is becoming more demanding as he threatens to divulge whatever it is he knows about Charlie's mysterious past. |
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3 | "Episode 3" | Howard Overman | Alrick Riley | February 2, 2006 |
Wealthy Russian student Natasha (Anamaria Marinca) begs Charlie to help her organise a green card wedding at the hotel. Charlie only agrees after Tony reminds him of how much cash they could make from delivery scams at the event, realising it's the one way he can raise the money to bribe Pete out of telling Rebecca about his past. Finding an agreeable suitor is easy enough, but can they convince Natasha's billionaire father Vladimir (Matthew Marsh), and more importantly Rebecca, that the wedding is genuine? The whirlwind of wedding plans catch Rebecca on a personal level, but it's obsessive compulsive guest Mr Daniels (Steve Pemberton) who makes her realise that hiding in the hotel isn't going to solve her own relationship problems. Charlie's scams earn him enough to pay off Pete, but the whole affair has made Rebecca suspicious. She takes the initiative, and delves a little into his employment history. |
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4 | "Episode 4" | Harry Wootliff | Iain B. MacDonald | February 9, 2006 |
When Anna bumps into - literally - wealthy American lawyer Richard (Matt Day), she becomes convinced they're fated to be together. In a delusional whirl, she stops at nothing to get this man (and the lifestyle) that she's after. And if it means breaching the 'strictly no guest/staff relationships' rule, well, Anna's always felt rules were meant to be broken. With General Manager Rebecca on her back, only the quick thinking of fellow receptionist Ben keeps Anna's indiscretions under wraps. Charlie is happy to let beautiful female guest Alice (Susie Amy) massage his bruised ego after colleague and love interest Jackie goes off on a date. Alice turns out not to be all that she seems, robbing her date and making off with Pete. When the date is found drugged in his room the next day, Charlie realises he's had a narrow escape, and that he should value Jackie more. Meanwhile, James and Gino bicker over the treatment of a couple who won a stay at Hotel Babylon in a competition. Rebecca confronts Pete over Alice, but he replies by suggesting she might be surprised by the background of some of her staff. Fortunately for Charlie, she's distracted by a visit from her husband Mark (James Weber Brown). |
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5 | "Episode 5" | Toby Whithouse | Iain B. MacDonald | February 16, 2006 |
Below stairs, we witness a world the guests never normally get to see - the immigrant labour that really makes the place work. A raid on the hotel by Immigration Officers forces Jackie into a dilemma when she's reminded by the officials about her own immigration status. What can she do to stop them deporting her? Gino has less serious problems - in order to keep the tips from a particularly generous guest flowing, he has to pretend to be gay. Can even Ben help him convince in the role? Meanwhile, Charlie is asked by a guest, Liz Sykes (Lisa Faulkner) to help cover up an affair she's been conducting at the hotel. Rebecca takes a hard line with him and orders him not to intervene, disarming him by implying she knows something about his fraudulent past. When Liz's lover, John Fuller, returns to the hotel with yet another woman, Charlie realises that Liz is being spun a line. A quick phone call leads to an uncomfortable confrontation for John. But Charlie's actions lead to an inevitable showdown when Rebecca realises he's disobeyed her. Fighting to save his job, Charlie manages to turn the tables on her. |
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6 | "Episode 6" | Howard Overman | Iain B. MacDonald | February 23, 2006 |
Already spooked after Tony tells them a grisly tale of murder at a nearby hotel, Anna and Max are further unsettled by the disappearance of security guard Jagdeep. Anna is sent to deliver a bottle of whiskey to a sheik, who is staying at the hotel after buying antique pistols at a Sotheby's auction. On her way back, she becomes convinced that she's heard a guest murder his wife in one of the bedrooms. Charlie refuses to take her seriously, despite having seen the guest, Mr Johnson, arguing with his wife earlier. As the night wears on, Mr Johnson's behaviour - like sneaking his suitcases out in the middle of the night - worries Anna more and more. With Charlie's help, she snoops around in his room, and is appalled to discover blood streaks in the bath and a bag of rope, tape and rubber gloves. In the bowels of the hotel, Charlie discovers Jagdeep seriously ill in a toilet cubicle. Meanwhile, Anna is terrified when Mr Johnson tries to make her accompany him. Seeing how scared she is, Charlie finally agrees to confront him, but when they go to his room they find a young, drunk, woman tied up in his wardrobe. A returning Mr Johnson is hit on the head by Anna - and Charlie finally phones Rebecca. The no-nonsense General Manager quickly gets to the bottom of things. Mr and Mrs Johnson were attempting to steal the pistols bought by the sheik. To do this, they abducted one of the sheik's wives - the young woman tied up in the wardrobe - and Mrs Johnson had swapped places with her. Given the option of arrest or a cover-up, all parties decide on keeping things quiet - and Rebecca finally escapes for her romantic holiday. |
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7 | "Episode 7" | Imogen Edwards-Jones & Tony Basgallop | Keith Boak | March 2, 2006 |
When £3000 goes missing from the room of wealthy guest Lady Patton, stolen by someone using a staff pass, Rebecca comes down hard on the staff. Suddenly everyone is a suspect facing instant dismissal if found guilty. Riled and suddenly untrusting, she not only interviews all of the staff, but also calls in an auditor - much to the distress of Gino and Jackie, whose stocktake figures are complete fantasy. Meanwhile, Anna is leading a teenage virtuoso violinist into naughtiness. Derek the doorman manages to persuade Rebecca, via Charlie to interview his wayward son for a job at the hotel. The lad is rubbish, though. About to break the bad news to Derek, Charlie realises the awful truth from something the dooorman says - Derek must be the hotel thief. Rebecca must maintain her professional stance and hand Derek his P45. The anguish doesn't end there, despite Tony's good work in heading-off ball-crunching auditor Ms Merchant with some well-placed bribes. A disgruntled hotel guest surprises everyone by revealing himself to be a hotel inspector - and issuing a damning threat! |
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8 | "Episode 8" | Tony Basgallop | Keith Boak | March 9, 2006 |
The surprise arrival of the hotel chain's European Director Adrian unsettles the staff further. Only Rebecca knows he's there for more than purely business reasons - the two of them had a fling a few months before. Adrian proves to be only the start of their worries: a star witness, Mr Wiltshire, is being housed at the hotel during the course of an infamous gangland trial. Tony is nervous about the risk to staff and Charlie has the unenviable task of looking after the guest. Whilst Tony attempts to forment a mutiny amongst the staff, Rebecca finds herself being wooed by Adrian with an offer of promotion abroad - and a new life with him. Meanwhile, Charlie builds up a rapport with Mr Wiltshire, and realised that he's come to the hotel just to die away from prison. Rebecca is put on the spot when her husband arrives for a surprise anniversary dinner organised by the staff. Forced to choose between her career and her marriage, she hesitates. But before she can make up her mind, gunshots ring out from the ninth floor - where Charlie is trying to protect Mr Wiltshire! |
[edit] Season 2: 2007
# | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate |
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9 | "Episode 9" | Tony Basgallop | Andy Wilson | February 15, 2007 |
Mr and Mrs Poldark (Cherie Lunghi and Russ Abbot), who've both undergone plastic surgery, check in to the hotel separately. They want to recuperate before their 20th wedding anniversary celebrations. But the staff become involved in various escapades, trying to prevent the couple from meeting. Meanwhile, prominent MP Theresa Evans (Ronni Ancona) is forced to hide in the hotel following the news that her husband Robert (William Scott-Masson) has had an affair. And below stairs the war with rival hotel The Burlington reaches new levels of drama when Babylon's bar stools go missing. How will the Babylon staff retaliate? Other famous faces checking in are Chris Moyles and Chantelle Houghton and former EastEnder Kacey Ainsworth as Maria Henson. |
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10 | "Episode 10" | Simon Block | Andy Wilson | February 22, 2007 |
A Premiership football team checks into the hotel ahead of a must-win big match. They make the mistake of upsetting the hotel staff, who begin planning a satisfying revenge. Meanwhile, a weird group of guests, all dressed in black and named after Cornish villages, arouse Anna's interest. To her horror she discovers they're an 'end of the world cult'. Will she be able to escape their clutches? |
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11 | "Episode 11" | Andy Rattenbury | Andy Wilson | March 1, 2007 |
Glamour arrives in the shape of Lord and Lady Stanmore and their fabulous Viennese Charity Masked Ball, hosted by Julian Clary. However, Anna's arched eyebrows are raised even further when she recognises her old pal and fellow receptionist Caz Simpson, aka Lady Catherine Stanmore, on the arm of Lord Stanmore. Anna's envy quotient reaches an all-time high. Can she help herself to a piece of the action? Elsewhere, homophobic rap artist Switchback decides to give old school friend Ben the time of his life at a party in his suite. Is there more to Ben and Switchback's friendship than meets the eye? |
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12 | "Episode 12" | Jack Lothian | Paul Whittington | March 8, 2007 |
High-flying businessman Robert Kane (Mark Heap) proposes to his girlfriend, Lisa (Sian Brooke), in the restaurant. She's thrilled until she discovers he actually lost his job six months previously and is running out of money. Lisa dumps Robert, who heads toward the balcony with the aim of throwing himself off. Charlie talks him out of it and agrees to give Robert the vacant position of bellboy. But is Robert in the right state of mind the make a success of his new job? Meanwhile, Rebecca receives her decree absolute and decides to hold a divorce party, and Jackie makes a shocking discovery about restaurant manager James... |
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13 | "Episode 13" | Harriet Braun | Paul Whittington | March 22, 2007 |
When a former-nurse-turned-reality-show celebrity, Carrie Cottan (Jennifer Ellison), checks into Hotel Babylon, Gino becomes besotted with her. Carrie's famous for having an affair with TV presenter Marcus Walker, and is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame. Elsewhere in the hotel, Jackie is delighted when a novelist she admires, Francis Levington (Angus Wright), checks in prior to his latest book launch. She makes an excuse to meet him alone, but soon comes to regret her actions. |
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14 | "Episode 14" | Imogen Edwards-Jones | Paul Whittington | March 29, 2007 |
Tony loses out on the Concierge of the Year award because his services are deemed old-fashioned. Riled, he decides it's time to modernise his game. But when he gets involved with a gang of Russian drug dealers he soon find himself out of his depth. Meanwhile, Rebecca realises she has a serious mutiny on her hands after cancelling the Christmas party. She reinstates it, with Charlie's help, and he ends up proving his worth in more ways than one. Elsewhere, famous British actor and renowned sex addict, Aiden Spencer (Alexander Armstrong), is using the hotel for a press junket to promote his latest film. Anna bonds with his terrified PA, Elizabeth, and, pretending to be a journalist, gets the truth out of the actor about his "problem". Could this be Anna's dream ticket if she sells the tape to a real journalist? |
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15 | "Episode 15" | Harriet Braun | Nigel Douglas | April 5, 2007 |
Wanting to remain professional, Rebecca and Charlie agree to meet to discuss the new developments in their relationship. However, seeing them together ignites feelings of jealousy in Jackie. In the middle of juggling both women, Charlie's younger brother, Dan (Christopher Coghill), arrives at the hotel – which can only mean trouble. Meanwhile, the restaurant's wine list is looking worryingly short of top vintages When wealthy Mrs Klein (Jerry Hall) suggests a wine taste-off at the hotel to win a case of very expensive Petrus '61, James feels he has no option but to comply. But can he survive the event with his reputation in tact? |
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16 | "Episode 16" | Simon Block | Nigel Douglas | April 12, 2007 |
Hotel Babylon is facing a takeover by Donovan Credo - infamous in the hotel trade for ousting the staff and bringing in his own 'drones'. Rebecca is to be kept on but Donovan allows her to keep only two members of staff. Rebecca chooses Charlie but makes him decide upon the other, dangling the managerial career carrot in front of him. Starting with Ben, one by one the staff are all given their notices. Tony learns he is the other member of staff to be kept on. However, he throws it back in their faces and walks out. When Charlie also decides to resign, Rebecca is forced to reveal to him that the Babylon Group are finding an alternative buyer (a Japanese company). Firing the staff was a stalling technique to give the Japanese more time to gather relevant information. Rebecca and Charlie work through the night ensuring the Japanese have everything they need to achieve a successful bid and at the very last minute they have succeeded. As Donovan walks out with his tail between his legs Charlie reassembles the team for a celebratory meeting. However, they feel that Rebecca has betrayed them. Rebecca leaves the hotel - for good. Charlie receives notification that he's to be made General Manager at Rebecca's recommendation. |
[edit] Season 3: 2008
# | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate |
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17 | "Episode 17" | Simon Block | Julian Simpson | February 19, 2008 |
Following the departure of Babylon's General Manager Rebecca, Charlie steps up to fill her shoes. He's soon under pressure when Anna becomes embroiled in a moral dilemma involving fashion company De Rigeur. The answer lies in a DVD. Meanwhile it's Tony's 40th birthday and no-one seems to care, apart from an American guest (Paula Abdul). Charlie gives him the task of babysitting a party of jurors in a murder trial. Disillusioned, things begin to look up when an attractive female juror (Nicola Stephenson) invites him to her room with a life-changing proposition. Elsewhere Emily James, a journalist, is asking awkward questions about the hotel. The employees are happy to help until they realise they have been duped. But there is more to this than meets the eye, who is she and what is she up to? |
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18 | "Episode 18" | Imogen Edwards-Jones | Julian Simpson | February 26, 2008 |
Love is in the air as Valentine's night approaches, but the restaurant has received a damning review from restaurant critic Alexander Crawfield (Nathaniel Parker). New PR Emily rises to the challenge and convinces Charlie to hire hot celebrity chef, Otto Clark (Alan Davies), leaving the Head Chef, Adam Price (Jeremy Sheffield), out on a limb. Gino suspects that a pair of bronzed and beautiful guests are using one of the rooms to shoot porn and stream it over the internet. Jackie's doubt doesn't wash with the boys, but she manages to stay one crucial step ahead of them, and ultimately laughs all the way to the bank. Meanwhile, the romance bug has caught up with Charlie and Anna and it looks like its game on until Anna becomes too close to Lady Hamilton (Anita Dobson) and her very eligible son Giles. Charlie can't contain his jealousy, realising that money and class are the only things that seem to interest Anna after all. Unless both he and Anna have read the situation wrong? |
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19 | "Episode 19" | Andrew Rattenbury | Julian Simpson | March 4, 2008 |
Hotel tycoon, Donald Stern's daughter Naomi (Katie McGuiness) is getting married to wealthy American, Earl Archer (Michael Landes), and he wants her to have the best wedding possible. However with the wedding planner away, it's up to Emily and Anna to make it a success. Unfortunately Emily can't help getting drawn back into her old party ways and causes chaos on Naomi's hen night. It will certainly prove a wedding to remember. As a result of the society wedding, Charlie introduces a system ensuring that the team get an equal reward from the tips for having to pull out all the stops. Ben is deemed the most reliable and is entrusted with keeping a watch over this money. However, temptation gets the better of him. Meanwhile Brad Shelford, 'Weightloss guru' (Don Gilet) is staying at Babylon for his promotional book tour. He arrives with gorgeous blonde, Carla on his arm, and immediately Gino is envious of his perfect lifestyle, but is Brad as happy as he makes out? |
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20 | "Episode 20" | March 11, 2008 | ||
It's the final rounds of auditions for new West End musical Princess Scrunchie. The hotel's alive with precocious kids and crazy showbiz parents, the worst being Scarlett Adams (Bonnie Langford). Tony is stunned when his thirteen year old daughter Liz arrives out of the blue and announces that she's in the final ten. Gino's brother, Ginelli, appears and finds himself helping Gino out behind the bar. The problem is that Ginelli can charm the birds from the trees, which Charlie puts to good use. Unfortunately this is what Gino feared and the truth about their brotherly relationship comes out. Jack Harrison is the last of the candidates for a new management role. Charlie gives him the awesome challenge of looking after Mr Delaney (John Culshaw). However the pressure soon gets to him, and Jack tries to make a speedy exit. A mysterious stranger saves Anna's life and she is eternally grateful - but who is he? After much investigation, she finds him staying at the hotel and discovers him to be her very own Mr. Wright. There is clearly chemistry, but he's called away and Anna's luck runs out, or does it? |
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21 | "Episode 21" | March 18, 2008 | ||
Charlie is starting to realise the pressure of managing a five-star hotel when a report from head office shows profits are down. His day gets worse when it emerges the chambermaids haven't been paid. Hutch (Kwame Kwei-Armah) a friend of Charlie's, is an established diamond dealer, who’s arrived for an exclusive jewellery auction being hosted at the hotel. However rumours of a planned heist are making people jittery. When Hutch realises the auction might be cancelled, he becomes desperate, revealing to Charlie that the auction is his ticket to freedom. With Head Office on his back, the chambermaids at their wits end and his friend needing help, Charlie turns to ex cell-mate turned loan shark, Terry to secure the extra finance he needs. When a further payroll mistake means there's no money to pay Terry back, things go from bad to worse with serious repercussions for Terry's henchman, Sparks (Marc Bannerman). Charlie's world is closing in and his days at Hotel Babylon suddenly appear to be numbered. Can Hutch offer him a much needed lifeline? |
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22 | "Episode 22" | March 25, 2008 | ||
Jack has just been promoted to General Manager, and this year's big 'rom com' is being filmed in Babylon by a very emotional director (John Barrowman). Problems arise as leaks to the press, a lack of on-screen chemistry between Katy (Megan Dodds) and Tom (James Lance) and a gaffe by Jack all threaten the film, and ultimately Babylon's profits. It's up to Jack to save the day, but will he succeed? Anna is having a dilemma. Ned has just invited her for a weekend away in New York, but she can't get Charlie out of her head. Finding it hard to know what to do she confides in Rachel (Donna Air), an enigmatic young woman who seems to have it all. But Rachel has her own secrets and reasons for living the high life, and Anna resorts to bring Rachel the happiness she deserves, and also to make amends with Ned. |
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23 | "Episode 23" | April 1, 2008 | ||
Illusionist Dan Black (David Schneider) is in town to do his next big stunt - disappear from Trafalgar Square. Anna seeks out how to perform his stunts and easily masters the art of levitating. Eager to find out more of his secrets she coerces Ben into going to Black's room whilst he’s out performing. However, Black manages to get the last laugh. Chat show host, Eddie Palmer (Steven Pinder) asks Tony to get him some female company. Palmer insists on using one of his regular contacts, so Tony escorts Mei (Sophie Wu), a young looking, Chinese woman, to Palmer's room with dire consequences. Much to Gino's jealousy, the restaurant is a roaring success. James hopes to keep up this success by unveiling his meticulously planned new menu. But when James falls for one of the new waitresses, and the Burlington's GM turns up to see Gino, it raises more than a few eyebrows. But there's a shock in store for Babylon the next day. |
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24 | "Episode 24" | Simon Block | April 8, 2008 | |
Soon to be famous faith healer, Jonah Slaughter (Nicholas Rowe), arrives at Babylon with his faithful assistant, Nathan (Adam Kotz), in tow. At the same time, a rather nervous Caroline (Samantha Bond) checks in and quickly situates herself in the bar. Finally, Martin (Peter Wight) arrives with an odd request - he wants his son's ashes to be stored in the hotel safe. When this isn't an option, Jack enlists James to look after the ashes, and guard them with his life. But there's more to these guests than meets the eye. Ned proposes to Anna, but celebrations are cut short when Anna hears what she believes to be a gun shot. On learning that Jack and Emily are being held hostage in a room, Anna joins the gang in a daring plan to rescue them. |
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