Hotel Portofino S1 & S2 coming to UKTV’s U and U&Drama channels

UKTV has announced that it has secured the rights to the first two seasons of Italian Riviera drama Hotel Portofino. The first series of the hit drama will debut on Friday, 27th September at 9pm.  The second season will see its UK premiere at a later date in 2024.

What is it about?

Hotel Portofino was initially a six-part period drama set in the 1920s about an upper-class family, the Ainsworths, who open a hotel for monied travellers in Portofino near Genoa on the beautiful Italian Riviera.

The first series focuses on the struggles of beautiful proprietress Bella Ainsworth (Natasha McElhone), as she struggles to get the hotel off the ground, lacking both staff and money. Her caddish husband Cecil (Mark Umbers) is a thorn in her side, offering little support to her in the hotel, instead focusing on marrying their son off to a wealthy heiress in order to secure the future of their family estate in England.

They both have to contend with the dangerous political landscape simmering around them, and they soon become the target of a ruthless, corrupt local politician, Signor Danioni (Pasquale Esposito).

The New York Times described it as:

 ‘“a show that is a little bit like if White Lotus took place in the post-World War I.”

Who is in the cast? 

Natasha McElhone and Mark Umbers are joined by Anna Chancellor as Lady Latschmere, Oliver Dench as their son Lucian, Olivia Morris as their daughter Alice,  Louisa Binder as Constance March, Lily Frazer as singer Claudine Pascal, Adam James as Jack Turner, Elizabeth Carling as Betty Scanlon, Daniele Pecci as Count Albani, Assad Zaman as Dr Anish Sengupta, and Claude Scott Mitchell as Rose Drummond.

Watch the trailer here:

Who is behind it?

The series was written by Matt Baker and directed by Adam Wimpenny with Jo McGrath and Walter Iuzzolino acting as executive producers.

The acclaimed drama was produced by Eagle Eye Drama in association with Beta Film. Melanie Rumani, Global Head of Acquisitions at UKTV said:

“This deal is a fantastic opportunity and one that really solidifies our relationship with the brilliant team at Beta Film. We’re thrilled to be partnering with them on this series.”

Emma Ayech, channel director for U&DRAMA, said:

 “We’re excited to be adding Hotel Portofino to our offering of high-quality dramas on U&DRAMA. The beautiful setting of the Italian Riviera is the perfect antidote to those autumnal nights, so we can’t wait for our viewers to dive into this one.”

Hotel Portofino S1 will be available to stream for free on U as of September 27th.