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Banjo and Ros Grand Island Hotel - Season 1 - Episode 01: Home
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00:0217 miles off Scotland's west coast lies the island of Mull and off the coast of Mull lies
00:08the much smaller island of Ulver. Seven miles long and two miles wide there are no roads instead a
00:16maze of footpaths accessible only by ferry from Mull. Once home to over 800 people today just 16
00:26remain outnumbered by an abundance of wildlife. At the centre of the island stands Ulver House
00:35an enchanting yet abandoned stately home waiting for something or someone to save it.
00:48Today two intrepid Australians have arrived determined to bring Ulver House back to life.
01:09They have left their former lives on Mull to pour their hearts and life savings into restoring it
01:16to its former glory. Our vision for this is to be the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides.
01:28Do you think that mould will just wash off? Strace.
01:43We're home. We're home. Do you love it? Yes! I love it.
01:52This is the lobby of our hotel. Is that not wild? Yeah it is. We've taken a massive punt. We've
02:00put
02:00everything on the line to do it because we kind of believe that we can turn this into something
02:07special. The alternative is that we're in an office doing nine to five and we know we don't want to
02:12do
02:12that. Inside 27 rooms lie locked in a quiet war between grandeur and decay. There's holes in the roof,
02:21there's holes in the ceiling and there's no water, no power, no heating. Every inch of the house is
02:28covered in something. But believe in the destination. I do believe in the destination,
02:33so just jump on. Buckle up. It's gonna be a ride. Years of neglect have left this listed masterpiece
02:42in a state of significant disrepair. Banjo and Roll will need to simultaneously restore the
02:49crumbling structure of the building alongside orchestrating a grand interior. The library.
02:55Mmm. Smell that. Dan. But also books and this room when a guest walks in needs to feel expensive. Now
03:04it feels dank. The drawing room will be transformed into an exotic orangery. So this room I love. It's a
03:12showstopper isn't it? Oh my. Wow. Oh my gosh. There is mold growing everywhere. On the other side of the
03:22building, the beating heart of the house. We'll have our farmhouse kitchen, our salamaria charcuterie.
03:28And I've always wanted to do cured meats. Upstairs, the luxurious guest bedrooms. We'll get rid of the
03:34dead bird. Yeah. And ensuite bathroom. This room is listed. For what? Demolition? We'll have a spa
03:43where you can get a seaweed wrap. Like that's amazing. This is doing my hardest. The plan is
03:49to transform six key areas in a push to get the hotel operational before winter. It's going to be
03:57decadent. It's giving opulence. It's giving grandeur. The fires will be roaring. The bedrooms are
04:04sumptuous and warm. And there I am ready to greet them. Welcome to the Grand Island Hotel.
04:18That is crumbling before ours. Sinking our money into this building, trying to save it,
04:23trying to etch a living out of it. It's an unusual way to invest your money. And then like at
04:28the end
04:28of the day, you know, this isn't even a house either. We'll never own this. In 2018, the island
04:36made history. Backed by the Scottish Land Fund, the people of Mull and Alda came together to buy the
04:43island, ending centuries of private ownership. Their mission was bold, to breathe life back into
04:49the island and to shape their own future. Now the island and its properties are run by a charitable
04:55trust on Mull. On the board, there are six people. We've got some crofters. We've got some business
05:05people. And we've got some retired people. That's me. Banjo and Ro have got other house on a rent and
05:12repair lease. So they don't pay any rent while they're doing the work. Wait, we're not going to
05:18own this house. We're renting it off the board. So this is like the world's biggest rent-o-vation.
05:25Yeah. I think it's a risk, but the reward is too great not to try.
05:29Since the community buyout, Banjo and Ro have been the only souls daring enough to tackle this
05:36formidable restoration. For seven years, the locals have observed Ulva House slowly rot,
05:42powerless to intervene.
05:50My name's Rudy. I'm the ferryman on the Isle of Ulva, and I've lived here most of my life. To
05:55see it
05:56laid empty for so long has been a bit upsetting to see. And from what I can see, Banjo and
06:02Ro have
06:03enough energy to take it on. So I'm really pleased for them. The Trust had professional surveys done
06:10to renovate the house, and the quotation was £2 million. We've got £150,000 of our own money.
06:18That's to live on, to invest in this place. Oh, wow. Yeah.
06:27Actually, no, I changed my mind. I do think they're mental with that kind of money. Yeah. Good luck to
06:32them.
06:33It's a massive job to take on for anybody, and you have to be mad to think you can do
06:38it.
06:41There's beyond no going back once this is signed. It's a legal document binding us to the
06:47responsibility of that house for the next 25 years. We're leasing the building for a reasonable price,
06:55because we're going to be investing our own money into repairing that building.
06:58In addition to that, once we have an established business, a percentage of the profit that we make
07:03will then also go back to the trust, which will then in turn go back to the iron.
07:07But I didn't know we had to repair the roof. Of course we're going to repair the roof.
07:11Replace all the chimney flushing. Yeah.
07:14Have you looked into septic tanks? How much they are? No, I haven't. Have you?
07:19Husband. Oh my gosh. Please.
07:26It's all a sign, bro. Okay, stop. I can't. I can't.
07:32It's a lot. It is a lot. It's a bit scary. But we can look after it. We can be
07:36custodians of it.
07:38And then it can hand over to someone else. That's history. And I think that's important. I think it's
07:42a great thing that we're a part of. Yeah. It's going to be okay. It's good. It's great. It's great.
07:51It's great. It's good. I love you. I love you too.
07:58With the paperwork signed, Banjo and Ro can move in and the work can officially begin.
08:04In a house with no heating, water or electrics, they've prioritised the library.
08:13It's the kind of room that I've always dreamed of. This is going to be magic.
08:19Yeah, no, I think we should keep it simple.
08:20No. Like imagine if Michelangelo's boss said, you know what, let's dial the vision back a bit.
08:28I bet he didn't have a supportive partner either. But honestly, are you not there? Imagine
08:34whiskey lit up and then a gorgeous big bar, statement green marble top.
08:40Okay, I do like green marble. I know you love green marble.
08:42Yeah, yeah. That's why you put that in there.
08:44The library will be reborn in high gloss black, set against an earthy green lime wash on the walls.
08:52At its heart, a bold, unapologetically theatrical bar. Around it, mohair armchairs and vintage
08:59furnishings will create a room where guests will lose track of time and perhaps themselves over a wee dram.
09:07The Whiskey Library.
09:08I want to put a high gloss lacquer finish on it. So it's almost like a mirror. I'm talking shiny.
09:17The only thing is if you do that high gloss, like gloss shows up everything because it's all bubbled and
09:23blistered.
09:24Yeah. So you will need to send that back to nothing. So this can't have a speck of dust or
09:31any bumps.
09:32So to put the high gloss on, it needs to be like day one new. There's a lot. And that's
09:38before
09:38I've even added all my furniture. I need to pick fabric. I need to reupholster all my lounges.
09:45I think we do have actually quite clear and defined roles. I'm going to be head of manual labor and
09:50building and construction, waste management, electricity, water. I'm the chief imagination officer.
10:00Yeah. While the plan is to transform rooms one by one over the next few months, the urgent structural
10:10issues with the house must also be resolved. It might be summer now, but winter is coming.
10:17There is an urgency to it because the reality is it's about to get harsh and it's almost going to
10:21come to
10:21grinding hole. The insurance will be crippling that if we can't get this house wind and watertight.
10:28Bottom line is the house needs to be wind and watertight by winter.
10:34To make all the house wind watertight and habitable, Banjo and Roe must tackle the essentials.
10:41They must repair the roof and replace any rotten windows, install a working plumbing system to
10:48reinstate running water and rewire the entire house. Their first task is the electrics. And luckily,
10:57the island has its own resident electrician. Who's also a local deerstoker.
11:08Everything in the house will get wired back to here. Yep. And this will be the main hub.
11:12Okay. Heating electrics gives you a proper plant room to function.
11:15I don't want to put you on the spot. How long Jack and the job will take?
11:19For the ground floor? Yeah. But even if it's not... Oh, yeah.
11:24Okay. Four weeks. Why? For the ground floor.
11:28Like, I saw some money fly out the window. Yeah, yeah. Well, definitely flying out the window.
11:38It's cold. It's just cold at night, though. That wind is howling through those walls and windows.
11:47Now might be a good time to talk about the budget. Like thereof.
11:53I think it's kind of going up in smoke. We're kind of hemorrhaging money. We want to get,
11:59you know, the baseline stuff done, but that's all hidden. And then by the time, you know,
12:05it comes to make it look nice, you've got no money. We have to be so careful with every penny
12:11that
12:12flies out the door. Yeah. And I've bought a couple of new shirts. A couple of new shirts?
12:19Well, I can't be walking around naked. Everything that we can possibly do ourselves
12:26needs to be done ourselves. If we don't get this where it needs to be
12:30to be able to start generating some sort of income, it's a dead end. It's a bloody scary thought.
12:40Definitely no more new shirts.
12:48It's a good idea.
12:49It's a good idea.
12:50Banj wants some sort of like glazy, polishy finish on this that's going to make it really,
12:53really shiny. The problem with that is any imperfections in the wood is going to show up.
12:58So the wood has to be smooth as glass. We're going to sand all of this down because we don't
13:02have
13:03power at the moment. We're limited in how we do it. So I've got like old school hand sand or
13:10I've got
13:10paint stripper. So I'm going to test both and see which works. Safety first.
13:22Whatever this lacquer was that was previously on it has like split and crackled, but it's quite
13:26thick. And what I don't want to do is sand the wood because I'm going to end up with these
13:30pockets
13:30and these divots. I'm going to try the paint stripper. I've never used it before. Yada yada yada.
13:35Apply a generous coat onto the surface.
13:45Okay, it's been about an hour. I don't know. It looks like it's changed colour,
13:48so I'm hoping that that's because it's come off. Okay. Oh my god. Are you joking?
14:00That's bloody amazing. That's a game changer. I definitely didn't buy enough. Like that didn't,
14:11yeah. Originally built as the seat of the Laird, the head of the Macquarie clan who once owned the
14:17island, Ulva House has been rebuilt over the centuries and its constant presence has become
14:23a defining landmark linking the island's past and future. For a wee island, Ulva has a
14:30whole lot of history and I really want to get a sense of that. I've invited the local mime artist,
14:36historian and podcaster Alistair and his sidekick Andrina to record a little episode of their podcast.
14:44The aim of this episode is to explore the context and history of Ulva in relation to kind of the
14:49world around it. Were there any significant visitors that were associated with the Isle of Ulva at all?
14:53Well, yes, of course. Queen Victoria came here in the 1840s. Captain Cook, he discovered Australia
15:00and then we've got Sir Walter Scott and he did a lot of sailing around here. Well, of course,
15:05the island was the stronghold of the Macquaries. So Lachlan Macquarie, born here in Ulva in the late
15:111700s, goes to Australia and is now regarded as the founding father of the country.
15:20Is just crazy. Like Lachlan Macquarie set up my hometown in Australia.
15:29And he came back in disgrace. Well, I mean, he did lose his money, loved to drink and married his
15:37cousin say. It's quite overwhelming how many people have passed through here. Beatrix Potter
15:43holidayed on Ulva, Wordsworth, Keats, Walter Scott, they've all stepped foot on the island.
15:50I want the hotel to feel like us, but it has to feel like it's on Ulva. Getting that balance
15:57right is
15:58tricky.
16:03I like to build a room around the things that I find. So I'll go to salvage yards, secondhand shops,
16:09and what I find will help me build the room.
16:16OK, I've got my eye on this.
16:18When I'm searching for treasure, I'm always trying to find something that I think belongs in a space.
16:24I'm waiting to find that wow piece.
16:26Yeah, I've got something you might be interested in.
16:29Yeah.
16:32So this is quite interesting. It's a plan. It's an old legal document of some kind.
16:38And as you can see, it's the Isle of Ulva.
16:42Wow, that's beautiful.
16:44So that's the old house. 1771 to 1835.
16:49Wow. Oh, Colonel Macquarie of Ulva.
16:52I lived in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere, and he found that town.
16:57Really?
16:57Yeah. Wow.
16:58Yeah. So he traveled a long way from Ulva.
17:02Yeah, he certainly did.
17:03To get to the bush in Australia.
17:05And so did you.
17:06Yeah, exactly.
17:07Gosh, that's a good-looking piece of history.
17:10All right, we'll take this.
17:11Good stuff.
17:13Banjo has found that link to the island's past that he was looking for. And through one of his contacts,
17:19he has also secured a statement piece, which will truly transform the room into the whiskey library of dreams.
17:27Oh, that's beautiful.
17:29And this is a beast.
17:31That's pretty impractical.
17:32But you know that feeling, you've just got to have it.
17:35I don't know if Roe will have that feeling.
17:37I'm just gonna...
17:38I'll get it back to Ulva Ferry.
17:41My job's done.
17:42Roe has to get it in the house.
17:46You're not telling me you don't like this.
17:48I love it.
17:49What a beast.
17:50It's a beast.
17:51It's too big.
17:52I just don't know.
17:53I just...
17:53You're not a visionary.
17:55No, I'm a practical person.
17:57Well, the window will just have to come off.
17:59How did you even get it here?
18:02I drove it.
18:03I picked it up.
18:05I got it in the back of a truck with a bloke.
18:07Well, you'll be getting it in the back of a boat, in the back of a tractor, in the back
18:10of a...
18:10How are we ever gonna get it up to the house?
18:12Do you think that I'm just on the road buying little fluffy cushions?
18:14No, I don't...
18:15I'm making power moves here.
18:16This is a bargain.
18:17It was a beast.
18:18I couldn't say no to it.
18:20It's coming.
18:21Well, can't you just...
18:22I just...
18:22I know you don't mean it.
18:23I just feel like sometimes you make things harder than the...
18:25Like, you add layers.
18:28What have you got here, or no?
18:30Just a little delivery.
18:32I was not part of this decision-making process.
18:35Doable.
18:36Look at that girl.
18:37See?
18:39He's a yes man, Ray.
18:40That's what we need more of.
18:41You're encouraging the behaviour, Rory.
18:46Yeah, you got this end.
18:51Bloody hell.
18:53A wee bit more.
18:56Here we go.
18:56You missed.
18:57Hey, go down here, Rory.
18:58I didn't think you'd get it on.
18:59I didn't think you'd get it on.
19:00Let's see if we can get across first.
19:11See, Ray.
19:14Tell me who would provide without you by my side.
19:25Oh, it's big.
19:26Yeah, I know it's bloody big.
19:28Is it too big?
19:28Yeah, of course it's too big.
19:29We have to take out a window.
19:30Are you joking?
19:32Yeah.
19:32Yeah.
19:33Yeah.
19:34Oi!
19:35You'll be okay.
19:37Thanks so much, gentlemen.
19:39I've done it again.
19:41Oh, shut up.
19:42It's so annoying.
19:45Because he's right.
19:47That's perfect.
19:48Hey, hey.
19:51I did it.
19:52Good job.
20:07I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul.
20:11To balance that really shiny black gloss, I need the room to feel a bit more grounded.
20:17We need to bring it down to earth.
20:20So I want to put this wash on the wall.
20:22And Lydia is an incredible decorator.
20:29She has got this gorgeous lime wash effect that's going to add a touch of romance to the space.
20:35If in doubt, go darker, moodier.
20:38Because this kind of has to kind of talk to the black.
20:42Richer, warmer.
20:44Richer and warmer.
20:45Yeah.
20:45Both of the things I wish I were.
20:50So I'm just doing this in all directions.
20:52So the texture's good for that lime wash look.
20:55So you can roller it.
20:57And I think you get a bit more out of the colour if you've got this kind of two-dimensional
21:03brush look.
21:04It's going to create the mood that I want in that space.
21:07I want it to kind of feel like you're under a canopy of trees.
21:16I want to have the room finished for Ro.
21:19Just because he just wants one room finished.
21:21That he can just sit in and be clean and relax.
21:26I don't want people to feel that we're just coming here and ripping the soul out of the place.
21:33We're trying to bring the soul back into the building.
21:37We're kind of custodians of this house.
21:40So Anne, the president of the board, she has all the books for the library.
21:46She's going to come and deliver it.
21:47And she's going to see.
21:49I'm nervous for her to see this because she, you know, she kind of has trusted us as
21:56caretakers of this house.
22:00And first thing I've done is paint the beloved library black.
22:04So I'm a bit worried what she might think.
22:07I'm desperate for their approval.
22:13The library, newly restored, stands ready for Banjo's eclectic vintage furnishings.
22:20Oh, my Gilly Mart.
22:23Oh, my marble side table.
22:25Oh, my gosh.
22:28You'd kill me.
22:31Do you like my pheasant?
22:32Um, no.
22:35I wonder what grandpa's going to think of the phaser.
22:38Oh, grandpa.
22:39Uh-oh.
22:43Elsewhere, the electricians have begun the daunting task of rewiring the property.
22:47And a temporary generator breathes life into the library once more.
22:52Brilliant, brilliant.
22:56Wow.
22:58What?
22:59That's lovely.
23:01Nice.
23:15I'm thinking Anne might think the library's going to be a lovely little subtle restoration job,
23:21but it's a full-blown makeover, so I don't know what she's going to make of it.
23:27Hello.
23:30This is the first time someone from the trust or the island has actually come in and had a look
23:33at what
23:34we've been doing, so it's a little bit nerve-wracking.
23:38Let's keep an eye on the books, Banjo, because I don't want them to get damaged.
23:43They're over a hundred years old, some of them.
23:45Oh, really? Almost as old as you.
23:47Oh, thank you.
23:48Just kidding.
23:51Oh, thank you.
23:52Come in.
23:55Hi, Anne.
23:56Hiya.
23:58Oh!
23:59Hello, hello, hello.
24:00Hello.
24:16Oh!
24:21Oh, look, the fire.
24:23Oh, it's gorgeous.
24:26It is lovely.
24:27And the lovely shiny black on the bookcases.
24:30That is just so chic.
24:36I mean, it's not exactly the library maybe you're expecting.
24:41No, I mean, I was quite a surprise to see that.
24:44I'm surprised, but not in a bad way.
24:46I love it.
24:47Well done!
24:48Oh, you like it?
24:49Yeah, I love it.
24:50Oh, phew.
24:53You've even got a library ladder.
24:55Wow.
24:56You've bought us the presents.
24:57What's this?
24:58Well, this is part of a complete set of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels.
25:05It's on handmade paper.
25:08They're not that precious in terms of money, but they're precious in terms of the story.
25:15Yeah.
25:15Not only that they tell us a book, but of what they say about the people who lived here in
25:20the past.
25:21So these were here in the house before.
25:23Yes.
25:24So they're coming home.
25:25Yeah, they are.
25:26I love that.
25:27We have got gaps to fill on the bookshelf, Anne.
25:29Okay.
25:30So these will go perfectly.
25:31Yeah, okay.
25:34It was very emotional to see what they've done with the room and the bar on one side and the
25:39books
25:39on the other side.
25:40That's a nice touch.
25:42There's bound to be somebody who says, oh, I don't like this.
25:45It's black.
25:45And, oh, well, why has it got a bar in it?
25:47There's bound to be.
25:48There's bound to be, especially from the older residents, the people who have been here longer.
25:55So we'll just have to wait and see.
25:57Plan with a bit of drink first and get them in then.
26:02That's the first step in opening the grandest little hotel in the Hebrides.
26:11Okay, Rose, switch it on.
26:16Switch the generator on.
26:24Our new islanders have successfully completed their first room, secured a temporary source
26:30of power to the house, and have begun to gain the trust of their new neighbours.
26:35A new chapter of island life has officially begun.
26:46It feels like this is just a little haven amongst the chaos.
26:51There's so much dust and noise all out there.
26:56We've built a little sanctuary.
26:58I'm exhausted.
26:59I'm wrecked.
27:00I think you did an amazing job.
27:03I think we did an amazing job.
27:05I'm blown away.
27:06But look at it.
27:07It's just lovely.
27:10Feels like the library this poem always deserved.
27:14You do a very good job of making something new feel like it's always been there.
27:18And this is what this feels like.
27:23No!
27:26It's the generator.
27:27That's the generator.
27:28Has it got enough fuel?
27:29No.
27:30Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word.
27:36It's hard to get by just to fall apart.
27:43Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild word.
27:49Always remember you like a child girl.
27:56Always remember you like a child girl.
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