British period drama television series
Hotel Portofino is a British period drama television series, created and written by Matt Baker. It is about a British family in the 1920s who own and operate a hotel for wealthy clients in an Italian resort town. The six-episode first season was released on BritBox in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2022 and began airing on ITV from 3 February 2023. It premiered on Sky Italia on 28 February 2022.[1]
The series was renewed for a second season, which began broadcasting 12 February 2023.[2] The show has been renewed for a third season.[3]
Plot
Bella Ainsworth and her family run a hotel for wealthy holidaymakers in the resort town of Portofino on the Italian Riviera. However, as they deal with the problems of running the hotel while subjected to deception and rampant corruption, the nation of Italy is dealing with political turmoil brought on by the rise of the Fascist movement.
Cast
Main
- Natascha McElhone as Bella Ainsworth, the owner of a British-style hotel in the Italian town of Portofino
- Lucy Akhurst as Julia Drummond-Ward, Rose's mother and an old flame of Cecil
- Louisa Binder as Constance March, the new nanny for Alice's daughter and a love interest of Lucian
- Elizabeth Carling as Betty Scanlon, the British cook for the hotel
- Oliver Dench as Lucian Ainsworth, Bella's son who is physically and emotionally wounded from the war
- Pasquale Esposito as Signor Vincenzo Danioni, a local politician in Portofino of the Fascist party
- Rocco Fasano as Gianluca Bruzzone, a local in the resistance against the Fascist party and a love interest for Anish
- Lily Frazer as Claudine Pascal, a dancer-singer and movie star
- Adam James as Jack Turner (series 1), Claudine's partner and an arts dealer
- Imogen King as Melissa de Vere (series 1), Lady Latchmere's niece
- Olivia Morris as Alice Mays-Smith, Bella's daughter and Lucian's sister
- Daniele Pecci as Count Carlo Albani, an Italian man fond of all things British and a therefore a trusted advisor to Bella
- Lorenzo Richelmy as Roberto Albani (series 1), Carlo's son
- Claude Scott-Mitchell as Rose Drummond-Ward, Julia's daughter promised to Lucian becoming his wife
- Mark Umbers as Cecil Ainsworth, Bella's husband and Lucian's father who is prone to dodgy dealings
- Assad Zaman as Dr Anish Sengupta, Lucian's best friend with whom he is secretly in love
- Anna Chancellor as Lady Latchmere (series 1), a hotel guest
- Carolina Gonnelli as Paola (main series 2; recurring series 1), a hotel worker who has an affair with Lucian
- Louis Healy as Billy Scanlon (main series 2; recurring series 1), Betty's son and waiter for the hotel who gets in conflict with the Fascists
- Joseph Balderrama as Luigi Farrino (series 2), an Italian-American gangster from Detroit who runs a casino in an Italian town nearby
- Oscar Lloyd as Jonathan Bertram (series 2), a hotel guest and writer
- Giorgio Marchesi as Marco Bonacini (series 2), an architect hired by Bella and love interest for her
- Roby Schinasi as Victor Michel (series 2), Alice's fiancé
Recurring
- Petar Benčić as Francesco (series 1), Cecil's assistant
- Maya Ramadan as Lottie Mays-Smith (series 1), Alice's daughter
- Henry Tomlinson as Viscount Heddon, Cecil's brother
- Dominic Tighe as Pelham Wingfield (series 1), a hotel guest and professional tennis player
- Bethan Cullinane as Lizzie Wingfield (series 1), Pelham's wife
- Bruno Nacinovich as Salvatore (series 2), a worker for Marco
- Marko Braic as Bruno (series 2), a worker for Marco
- Melanie Gray as Jane Dodsworth (series 2), a hotel guest
- Michele Moran as Patricia Dodsworth (series 2), a hotel guest
- Antonio Scarpa as Sergeant Poretti (series 2), police chief in Portofino
Episodes
Series 1
Series 2
Production
Baker created and wrote the first series in 2020. Principal photography took place on location in Rijeka, Lovran, and Rovinj, Croatia. A minor part was filmed in Portofino, Italy in 2021.[4][5]
The second series began filming in July 2022. It was Croatia's largest television production of that year. The production employed 135 Croatian crew, including 13 out of 14 heads of departments, and more than 800 extras.[6]
Release
BetaFilm Group is handling international distribution of the series. In June 2021, it was announced the first series of Hotel Portofino had sold to BritBox and ITV, Sky Italia, Foxtel in Australia and the American broadcaster PBS.[7] Sales expanded to DR in Denmark, Sveriges Television, Norway’s NRK, Yle in Finland, Icelandic broadcaster Sýn and NPO in the Netherlands by October.[4]
BritBox released a trailer for the first series on 5 January 2022.[8]
A novelisation of the series, written by J.P. O'Connell, was published in December 2021 ahead of the series launch on BritBox. A follow-up novel, Hotel Portofino: Lovers and Liars, was published on February 15, 2024.
Reception
Radio Times consistently complimented the first series, awarding Hotel Portofino a glowing front cover and countless Pick of the Days. Jane Rackham also boasted the 'sumptuous period drama' as 'enjoyable escapism' in the magazine.
In more critical reviews, Anita Singh in The Telegraph gave the first series two out of five stars, praising the production values but unimpressed by the writing. Singh remarked, 'It is a drama serial which draws so heavily from The Durrells and Downton Abbey that it could have been assembled from an ITV kit, although it is a pale imitation of both.[9]
Barbara Ellen of The Observer awarded the second series two out of five stars, summarizing it as 'so silly you may just enjoy it.'[10]
References
- ^ Ugolini, Chiara (27 January 2022). "I love Italy, da 'Hotel Portofino' a 'White Lotus' passando per 'The morning show': tutti amano l'Italia (vera e falsa)". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "MIPTV: 'Hotel Portofino' Gets Season 2 Order, 'Professor T' Sells Wide". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 April 2022.
- ^ https://www.televisual.com/news/hotel-portofino-opens-its-doors-for-a-third-season/
- ^ a b Bałaga, Marta (26 October 2021). "Beta Film pre-sells historical family saga Hotel Portofino in the Nordics and the Netherlands". CinEuropa. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "ITV and BritBox will feature Opatija on a new drama series". Brit Flix. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ Zajović, Milena (30 August 2022). "Second Season of 'Hotel Portofino,' starring Natascha McElhone, Is Croatia's Biggest Shoot This Year". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (9 June 2021). "'Hotel Portofino': Natascha McElhone Period Drama Series Sells To ITV/BritBox, Sky Italia, Foxtel". Deadline.
- ^ Cremona, Patrick (5 January 2022). "Natascha McElhone stars in first trailer for Hotel Portofino". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ Singh, Anita (27 January 2022). "Hotel Portofino, review: 1920s period drama tries, and fails, to copy Downton and The Durrells". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Ellen, Barbara (5 February 2023). "This week in TV: Nolly; Putin vs the West; Emily Atack: Asking for it?; Hotel Portofino". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
External links
