Hotel Babylon: Season 3

A tantalizing and seductive insight into the sexy world of the luxury hotel industry! From a grand prix victory celebration to the perfect venue from which to launch a new fashion collection, the staff at Hotel Babylon works tirelessly to meet the demands of its glamorous, image obsessed customers. "Glossy, stylish, sexy and wholly implausible...curiously addictive...a guilty pleasure"-Guardian.

Episode 1 - Anna thinks all her Christmases have arrived at once when highly successful clothing company, De Rigeur, holds a fashion show at Babylon to launch its new collection. Anna is a big fan of the label and quickly ingratiates herself with David Duncan, the creative director, in order to get her hands on the collection's star piece, the Astrix dress.
However, things at De Rigeur are not as glossy as they seem. Duncan accuses his boss, Price, of using sweatshops in order to keep clothing costs down. When Price refuses to listen to Duncan, he finds himself an unlikely ally in Anna. Charlie sees Anna in a new light when she shuns her usual materialistic instincts in favour of doing what is morally right. However, Price is a powerful man and shows Duncan what he is capable of. Will Charlie and Anna be able to help Duncan and bring down one of the most successful clothing companies of our times?
A jury on a murder trial is checked into the hotel. The verdict hangs on one member of the jury: Justine. She connects with Tony, who is having a hard time - he's turned 40 and his family don't seem to care. Tony helps Justine when she is offered a bung. Will she take the money and run, and, more importantly, will Tony give up everything and go with her?
Emily James is also staying at Babylon. She claims to be a journalist, only she keeps changing the publication she works for and the questions she asks the regulars are maybe a little too personal. Is she really who she claims to be, or is there an ulterior motive for her enquiries that even Charlie isn't aware of.

Episode 2 - Love is in the air as Valentine's night approaches, but the restaurant has received a damning review from London's ‘make or break' restaurant critic Alexander Crawfield, and Head Chef Adam Price's head is on the block. New PR Emily sees this as an opportunity to prove her worth by turning the situation to their advantage. At breakneck speed, she convinces Charlie to hire hot celebrity chef Otto Clark, organises a big Valentine's Night Restaurant Re-launch with Otto at the helm, and audaciously invites Crawfield back for more! Despite his loyalty to Adam Price (who has clearly hit rock bottom), Charlie is in a corner - with suddenly only 24 hours to turn things around and ensure a good review to put the restaurant back on the map.
Initially, it looks like the night might prove to be one of the hotel's greatest. Then disaster strikes, food needs to be recalled and Crawfield is getting twitchy. When Adam goes missing and the kitchen staff are dropping like flies, Emily is made to realise the hard way that running a hotel is not always just about PR.
Meanwhile, the romance bug has caught up with Charlie and Anna and it looks like it's game on - until Anna becomes too close to Lady Hamilton and her very eligible son
Giles. Charlie cannot 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...?
Romance is being interpreted in an altogether different way in room 425. Gino is hugely excited by the suspicion that a pair of bronzed and beautiful guests are using the room to shoot porn and stream it over the internet. Tony is keen to stop them for the sake of the hotel's reputation, but needs evidence. Jackie doubts the couple are porn stars, but the boys refuse to listen. Nevertheless, she manages to stay one crucial step ahead of them, and ultimately laughs all the way to the bank.

Episode 3 - Hotel tycoon Donald Stern's little girl, Naomi, is getting married to wealthy American, Earl Archer, and he wants her to have the best wedding possible. Normally, this would be no problem at all for Babylon, it's just that Sterns have literally moved the wedding from the Burlington to Babylon and expect everything to be arranged within a day. Babylon's wedding planner is away, so the responsibility is placed on Emily to ensure Stern's requests are met.
Charlie is a little miffed when he discovers that the Sterns are old family friends of Emily's. Anna is dragged in to assist Emily, mainly because Charlie is feeling a little threatened by her and believes Anna will keep an eye on her. Things are hotting up in the relationship stakes between these two and Anna is only too happy to comply. However, Anna's enthusiasm soon dwindles when Emily is drawn back into her old party ways and causes chaos on Naomi's hen night with old drinking buddy, Helena. However, an uncomfortable moment between Anna and Charlie motivates Anna to defend Emily, and the staff for the first time realise Emily is just like one of them - apart from the fact that her dad is a rich hotel tycoon!!
Having been welcomed into the group, Emily then has to deal with the fact that Donald Stern is unable to pay for his daughter's wedding. Babylon stands to lose a fortune. Will Emily and Charlie be able to guarantee Stern a wedding to remember without bankrupting the hotel?
As a result of the society wedding, Charlie introduces the ancient tronc system of pooling tips to ensure that everyone gets an equal reward for having to pull out all the stops. Ben is deemed the most reliable and is entrusted with keeping a watch over the tronc money. However, temptation gets the better of him and he helps himself to some of the money. Unfortunately for him, Otto catches Ben in the act and wants in on some of the tronc money, he'll pay him back later. Initially, Ben is adamant that he won't lend Otto the money, but Otto reveals his true colours and tells Ben that, if he doesn't, he will tell the gang that Ben is a thief. Will Ben succumb to Otto's demands? Can Otto be trusted not to spill the beans and land Ben in it with rest of the team?
Brad Shelford, a weightloss guru, is staying at Babylon as part of his new book promotional tour. He arrives with gorgeous blonde, Carla, on his arm and immediately Gino is jealous - he wants this man's lifestyle. But is Brad as happy as he makes out? Gino is also interested in just how attentive James is to Brad's requests; further snooping reveals James's penchant for macaroni cheese and a fat past he would rather remained hidden.

Episode 4 - The final rounds of auditions for a new West End musical based on the hit children's book Princess Scrunchie are taking place in the hotel, and it's alive with precocious kids, crazy showbiz parents (Scarlett Junior and her mother Scarlett Senior being enough for anyone to handle), as well as a swarm of pestering journalists.
Tony is stunned when his 13-year-old daughter Liz arrives out of the blue and announces that she is in the final round of auditions. But their shaky relationship is put to the ultimate test when a guest crisis drags Tony away from seeing Liz's critical first audition. The truth comes out in a blaze of teenage angst: he has never been there for her and probably never will be! Tony is mortified, especially when the musical's director, Maxwell Anderson, takes it upon himself to step into the father role. Tony desperately tries to make it up to his daughter and, when the final round of auditions are sabotaged, he sees his opportunity. But when the saboteur's identity emerges, Tony is forced into a shocking realisation. Perhaps Liz is more than a chip off the old block than he gave her credit for?
When his nomadic brother Ginelli turns up out of the blue, Gino is overjoyed and quickly secures him a job for a few days. Within hours, Ginelli is impressing everyone, winning over the gang and, worse, making better cocktails than Gino! Charlie is so impressed that he insists that Ginelli stays on, and it is only when Jackie finds out how extremely upset Gino is that the truth about their brotherly relationship comes out.
Desperate to get back the Gino she knows and loves, Jackie manages to enlist the gang's help to get rid of Ginelli. But her plan backfires, and Gino and his brother are forced to confront issues each of them has buried for years.
The last of the candidates for a new management role has arrived. Jack Harrison is everything on paper, but Charlie wants him to prove his mettle with people and consequently sets him the impossible task of looking after and appeasing notorious guest, Mr Delaney. Jack tries his very hardest, but despite pulling out the stops, it just isn't enough. Believing he has completely blown his chances, he makes for a quick exit, but Charlie has other ideas...
A mysterious stranger saves Anna's life and she is eternally grateful - but who is he? After much investigation, she eventually finds him staying at the hotel and discovers him to be Ned Wright. Her very own Mr Right? There is clearly chemistry, but Ned is called away and Anna's luck runs out. Or does it?

Episode 5 - Charlie is starting to realise the pressure of managing a five-star hotel. A damning missive from Head Office, criticising his accounting and demanding answers, is an added strain he could do without. He quickly brings in a new sommelier to better the profits of the wine cellar, but the Head Office threat becomes just the tip of the iceberg: biblical chaos is going on below stairs; the chambermaids haven't been paid. Charlie tells Jackie he will sort the situation, but when Jack reveals the lack of pay is all Charlie's fault, his promise to get the money by the morning is looking unlikely.
Relief from all this comes in the shape of Hutch, a long-term friend of Charlie's and all-round nice guy. An established diamond dealer, he has arrived for an exclusive jewellery auction being hosted by Bonnington's auction house at the hotel. Financial complications and Tony's news of a planned heist make Charlie doubt the wisdom of continuing with the auction. Hutch begs Charlie not to cancel it; the auction is his ticket to freedom and his lifelong dream. Charlie promises, but it's a shallow promise since he has no idea where to secure money for the extra security that the auction house is demanding before they consent to letting the auction happen.
With Head Office on his back, the chambermaids at their wits' end and Hutch needing help, Charlie is left to make a difficult decision to secure the extra finance he needs.
Cue Terry, Charlie's ex cell-mate turned loan shark. He lends Charlie the required cash and all looks to be back on track, until a further payroll mess-up means there is no money to pay Terry back and things turn nasty. Jackie finds herself in a fight with one of Terry's henchmen, which has disastrous consequences for her and Charlie. As the rumours of the planned heist turn out to be justified, 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?

Episode 6 - This year's big rom-com is being filmed in Babylon. Having a film crew in the hotel quickly vexes the staff. The stars themselves, Katie and Tom, are typical needy celebrities, claiming to hate the media but at the same time craving their attention. When someone leaks to a popular gossip website that Tom has indulged in a little botox, he threatens to leave the hotel, jeopardising both the film and the hotel's profits. Jack looks worried and his first task as the new General Manager is to smooth the waters and appeal to Tom's ego.
Just when Jack thinks he has succeeded in mollifyingTom, the film's producer/director (Simon) informs him that there is absolutely no on-screen chemistry between Tom and Katie; they blatantly hate each other and the financiers are threatening to pull the plug. To make matters worse, in an attempt to try to pander to Katie, Jack inadvertently tells her she doesn't need to do a topless scene in the movie. Simon is furious, it's what the audience are expecting. Once again it's up to Jack to save the day and bring the two leading actors together. Will he succeed? He has already alienated himself from the rest of the staff as a result of his new rule - no drinking on duty. Will Jack be the shortest GM in Babylon's history?
Meanwhile, Anna is facing a dilemma. Ned has just invited her for a weekend away in New York, but she cannot get Charlie out of her head. Unsure what to do, she confides in Rachel, an enigmatic young woman who seems to have it all. Unfortunately, Rachel goes too far and drunkenly tells Ned about Charlie, potentially blowing any chances Anna has with Ned. Anna is furious, and goes ballistic at Rachel. However, she is brought up short when Rachel reveals she is dying - her reasons for living the high life are her way of going out with a bang. The problem is that Rachel is really missing Sam, a boyfriend she ditched before she fell ill. Anna decides to try to resolve the situation on two fronts - make amends with Ned, and try to get Sam and Rachel back together. Will she succeed?
. Ben and Gino are hit by the acting bug - they're both desperate for parts in the film, and will do anything to get even the smallest part. Will they succeed and are they any good?

Episode 7 - Northern-based, slightly out-of-touch, chat-show host Eddie Palmer checks into Hotel Babylon and asks Tony if he can get him some company. On a warning from Jack to keep prostitute action to a discreet minimum, Tony is loth to help him, especially as Palmer insists on using one of his own regular contacts. There's nothing for Tony to do apart from escort Mei, a young Chinese-looking woman, to Palmer's room.
Emily informs Tony she has arranged for him to be interviewed or an article about ‘Who knows London best?' - it's good publicity for the hotel. However, as the journalist arrives, Tony is called away by an urgent phone call from Palmer. Mei has disappeared after biting Palmer and refusing to comply with his sexual needs. There's further tension between the two men when Tony refuses to get him another girl. Meanwhile, Emily and the journalist find Mei hiding in a suite. Emily is furious and demands Tony sort out the problem. Tony attempts to throw Mei out the hotel, but softens when he realises she is only 15. Tony is appalled and later punches Palmer in the lobby. Jack no option but to sack Tony, leaving him wondering who will look after Mei?
Much to Gino's chagrin, the restaurant is a roaring success. James is about to bring out his new menu - he's going back to basics with the dishes and, as a result, he's having to hire new staff. Chloe, one of the new waitresses, catches his eye and it appears to be love at first sight. Meanwhile, the arrival of Mr Harkness, the Burlington's General Manager and Babylon's rival, to see Gino raises a few eyebrows. After a delightful date, James is shocked to arrive into work the following morning and find that someone has stolen the ideas for his new menus and given them to the Burlington. All eyes point at Gino - it's clear there's tension between the two of them. Gino is not happy and wants to prove his innocence, however that proof comes at a cost to James when Chloe is revealed as the true mole.
Famous illusionist Dan Black is in town to do his next big stunt - disappear from Trafalgar Square. Anna's interest is piqued in Black, and she gets irked because he's more interested in Ben. Ben laps up all the attention Black gives him and is animated about the illusions Black performs. Anna, not at all impressed, seeks to find out how to do his stunts and coerces Ben into going to Black's room whilst he's out. Reluctantly Ben goes and is surprised to find more than he bargained for - plans about Black's latest disappearing stunt. He takes them, but when he attempts to show the folder to Anna, he finds it empty. Black then manages to get the last laugh by handing them a DVD on his exit. The DVD shows someone watching Ben whilst he ferrets around Black's room, yet Ben swears he was alone... That's magic!

Episode 8 - Provincial preacher turned soon-to-be-famous faith healer, Jonah Slaughter, arrives at Babylon with his faithful assistant, Nathan. Small-town girl Caroline also checks in. So does Martin, who has an odd request - he wants an urn containing his son's ashes to be stored in the hotel safe. There is no room, so Jack enlists James to look after the ashes and guard them with his life. A fuss at the bar ensues when CaroIine accuses Jonah of being a fraud. Jonah retires.
In fact, Caroline is an actress hired by Nathan to try to make Jonah see that his claims to faith-heal and his ambition to make money out of God are wrong. Nathan takes Caroline up to Jonah's room, where Emily is busy discussing business plans with him. Playing her part, Caroline asks Jonah to return the money her ‘mum' gave Jonah's mission. Jonah refuses.
There's a knock at their door. It's Martin, holding a gun. Martin isn't an actor. His son had cancer and went to see Jonah, who told him God could save him and that he no longer needed to take his medication. Martin's son died and now Martin wants Jonah dead. Scared, Caroline reveals that she's really an actress. Jonah is incensed and for a moment, they all believe that Martin is a stooge too - that is until Jack tries to be a hero and barges into the room to disarm him. Martin defends himself and in the process Jack is knocked unconscious. Chaos ensues and Martin fires his gun to reassert order. Emily manages to get a message to the staff to tell them what is happening and together they concoct a daring plan to rescue Emily and Jack and discredit Jonah for good.
Posing as a difficult guest, Ned manages to lure Anna up to his hotel room, where he proposes to her. Anna's delight is cut short, however, when she hears what she believes to be a gunshot in a nearby room. Ned tries to make her forget about it, but Anna wants to find out more. She learns that Jack and Emily are being held hostage and joins the attempt to rescue them. In doing so, Anna learns some uncomfortable truths about the man who wants to marry her. Perhaps he is not what she wants after all?
Spencer checks in, having put aside a few days to read Joseph Heller's Catch 22, a book he has waited 30 years to read. Initially he tries to read it in the bar, but Gino gets vexed by the fact that not only does he not drink anything, he also annoys guests by laughing aloud at certain sections. Annoyed, Spencer retreats to his room, where he is then disturbed by James, in need of the room as part of the bid to rescue Jack and Emily. For Spencer, it's the final straw and he gives up hope of ever getting to the end of Heller's masterpiece.
But will the staff manage to rescue Emily and Jack?

Based on the book by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Written by Simon Block, Andrew Rattenbury, Imogen Edwards-Jones, Howard Overman, Marston Bloom, Jack Williams
Produced by Polly Williams
Executive Produced by Gareth Neame, Christopher Aird

"Glossy, stylish, sexy and wholly implausible in the sort of relationships staff and guests instantly strike up, Hotel Babylon is curiously addictive, borderline surreal television ... a guilty pleasure." - David Stubbs, Guardian

"Trashy but fun, the world's most ludicrous hotel drama returns for a triumphant third series." - Mike Bradley, Observer

"...the anything goes froth we love to laugh at..." Jane Simon, Daily Mirror

"Fabulous froth!"  - Georgina Reid, Sun

"... popular hokum..." - Andrew Billen, The Times