The Rise and Fall of the Babylonian Empire

Hotel Babylon
Season 4
2 Stars

There’s something to be said of five star accommodation. Whether it be that of a hotel or that of a television series, one finds comfort and solitude in one’s visits, expecting that very same quality with each and every visit.

When it first hit our screens back in 2006, Hotel Babylon sparkled with high class exuberance; a televisual treat that week in, week out, delivered some of the best drama that had hit our screens in a long time. Spearheaded by a top-notch cast; the ever great Max Beesley, Eastenders’ gorgeous Tamsin Outhwaite and erm… Games Master’s Dexter Fletcher, Hotel Babylon exposed the dark and gritty backdrop that forms the foundation of the glitzy world of five star fortune.

Having been working in a hotel, and indeed having read the original novel by Imogen Edwards-Jones not long before the pilot episode, I was delighted by the screen portrayal of the larger than life characters of the eponymous hotel, and for the first three seasons remained utterly delighted by their antics. Indeed, were I to review the first or second season of the show, I would give it the much coveted five stars it deserves. Unfortunately, the Hotel Babylon I have been watching this week is not the very same that I fell in love with.

By the end of season three, cracks began to form in the perfect interior of Babylon; having run out of stories taken from Edwards-Jones’ original book, the writers also seemed to have dried up on the ideas front. And so, like rats from a sinking ship, our much-loved characters began to flee; Outhwaite had already bowed out graciously at the end of season two, but following suit Beesley jumped ship halfway through season three, along with the breath-taking Head of Housekeeping Natalie Mendoza (The Descent). Soon followed, rather inexplicably, Lee Williams (Beesley’s replacement) and the long-standing Head Receptionist Anna Thornton-Wilton (Emma Pierson - The Worst Week of my Life, Charles II: The Power and The Passion).

So where does that leave us? Season four begins with newcomers Nigel Harman (another former Eastender) and on-screen wife Anna Wilson-Jones (Monarch of the Glen, Afterlife) taking over Babylon. Unfortunately, these new managers are not only utterly dull, but they just don’t fit in with the rest of the Babylon staff. As such, it is down to the only remaining original characters, sommelier James (Raymond Coulthard – Castles, Casualty), head barman Gino (Martin Marquez – The Bill) and newly appointed head receptionist Ben (Michael Obiora – Doctor Who) to take the reigns. Unfortunately, whilst these fine gents have supplied comic relief for the past few years, they are unable to carry the show, and at times the once gritty and dark world of Babylon becomes nothing more than high farce.

Dexter Fletcher meanwhile does his best to maintain some degree of class as Tony the concierge, but unfortunately the writers seem to have forgotten just how good an actor Fletcher is, and burden him with some simply daft story lines, a “Prince and the Pauper” esque episode standing out as one of the worst in the series.

It’s a real shame to see the downfall of Babylon, and sitting here now re-watching the first season, I can truly see why both viewers and actors fled during the show’s final days. From its glory days, the hotel got hit hard by the recession. It’s just a shame this one shan’t be coming back from the BBC’s graveyard of cancellation to rekindle the flame that once burned bright.