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Banjo and Ros Grand Island Hotel - Season 1 - Episode 05: Folk Tales
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00:06I can handle living on a remote island, not having a shower, no power, bad weather the
00:11ferry's not running. But popping to the pub is an exercise. Oh, bloody earth. We can't be doing that
00:21every day. Nah. You gotta get Rory to take you over, you gotta find someone to pick you up and
00:26take you to the pub. Then you gotta find someone to bring you home from the pub. Rory said if
00:32I
00:32flash my head torch heaps you'd be able to see from the kitchen window. Ah, here he comes.
00:39Not all heroes wear capes. It's a hassle. It's a fiasco. It's like trying to get to point A to
00:45point B and then back to point B. Have you been drinking again? Maybe. But you know what I mean?
00:51It is. It's like, it's hard. Poor Rory. You've dragged him away from Mr. Dokirk.
00:57Rory. Howdy. I think we should have a pub over here. That's not a bad idea.
01:16What's wrong, girls?
01:24The island's newest residents, our slightly worse for wear Antipodeans,
01:30are attempting the ambitious task of turning this once grand home into an even grander island hotel.
01:39But this whirlwind of ambition has taken a considerable toll on the rather timid £150,000 budget.
01:47Real talk. We've got to start budgeting.
01:55You've been saying that to me for years.
01:59There's about a third left.
02:01And we still don't have a kitchen. Radiators aren't in, windows, floors, the house isn't warm.
02:08So now we need to dial down the spec.
02:09I've dialed down the spec to the point where half the house isn't going to be done.
02:13I think the harsh, cold reality is we don't have enough money to finish it.
02:20We're going to be budget conscious, maybe rein in some of the extravagant designs.
02:23Excuse me.
02:26No.
02:29The master bedroom, we just need to keep it simple.
02:38At the start, I was just washing the walls.
02:42But what was happening is you're just smearing mud about.
02:46If you get all that dust off, it's just so much quicker.
02:51We need to be able to make money soon, so we just need to get in there, give it a
02:55good clean,
02:56get the mould out, get the dust out, give it a plaster, give it a paint.
03:00Happy day's the end. We can get some guests in there and we can start making some money.
03:07This will be the highlight, I think, of the hotel.
03:10So we want to get it right. You get lots of light coming in.
03:13You can see straight out into the fields. It's going to be special.
03:21We just need to keep it simple, keep the vision simple, and then we'll be fine.
03:30I've invited a folkloria, a storyteller to the island.
03:37She's going to create a tale for us and I'm going to base the whole room on her.
03:42Why?
03:45I don't think I've ever heard of an interior designer that's like, you know what this room
03:50needs? A storyteller. Exactly. And that's what will be our difference.
03:58She's wandering the island and she's making up a folk tale and she's going to perform it to the
04:03rest of us.
04:05Oh, welcome.
04:13In Norse mythology, the sun and the moon are chased through the sky by two giant wolves
04:19named Skoll and Hattie. But the sagas forget that Skoll and Hattie had a sibling, a wolf named Aedes.
04:29When Ro first mentioned it to me, I was like, this sounds an absolute car crash.
04:36You know, let's run around barefoot, hippy-dippy, but actually I was quite pleasantly surprised.
04:42Wherever the radiant Borealis burst into life, Aedes would follow behind, dancing with joy on the
04:49trails of light. Local legend still says that you can spot Aedes, the great sky wolf, dancing in the
04:58skies above the tiny island of Ulva. Wolf Island.
05:07That's you, grandpa.
05:09Oh, it's beautiful. You've given the island a little gift. We all need a little bit of
05:14magic and enchantment in our lives. I'm pretty sure that's going to make for a spectacular room.
05:19I think taking the inspiration from the story and then turning that into a room in the house,
05:23I think that's a really nice thing to do. And there's so many little nuggets in there that we
05:27can latch onto and make something beautiful. As long as it's done tastefully, you know,
05:32just the image of a massive wolf's head on that one wall. So the pressure's on.
05:38I don't think he'll do that.
05:41The name Ulva originates from the Old Norse for wolf.
05:47So with inspiration sewn, it's now time for the practical work to begin.
05:53Good day, gentlemen. How are you?
05:55Hello. Oh, thanks for coming out.
05:57Good to meet you.
05:58It's a beast.
05:59Yep.
05:59But we just need to work on one little section of the beast.
06:03These hairline cracks sort of like all over the place. That didn't kind of go to plan,
06:09but I can...
06:10We'll get that. We'll stuff some stuff in there.
06:12There's more. There is as many in this house as you've got time to do over the next couple of
06:16days.
06:16Well, we're here till tomorrow evening, so we'll be cracking on.
06:23If they can get ahead of me with the plastering, I can then follow with the painting.
06:30They're just up straight into it.
06:36With the walls perfectly prepared, the stage is set for Banjo's vision of the hotel's first guest bedroom.
06:45Wow. Oh, I love it.
06:50Morvan, she's thinking Northern Lights. Then we bring in a wolf kind of story thread through it.
06:57So there's some kind of wolf-like figures on the walls.
07:01So I don't think I can be involved in this.
07:05Inspired by Nordic myth and legend, the walls, ceiling and floor will wrap the guests in a colour palette drawn
07:11from the island itself.
07:13A one-of-a-kind bed will take centre stage, while minimalist decor keeps the room feeling like an extension
07:20of the landscape.
07:22A place for guests to lose themselves.
07:25You've got to have an area, like a comfortable sofa or something, where you can just lay down and put
07:29your feet up.
07:29I'm afraid we're going to have a bath in here, so there's no room for that.
07:34Literally, on the other side of this wall is a bath.
07:38Yes, but it's not a tub.
07:40It's stressing me out for two reasons.
07:42One is like the physical plumbing of that situation.
07:46Nothing's a problem.
07:48Yeah, nothing's a problem as long as you've got money to throw at it.
07:53Like walls and bathtubs and Northern Lights, like we're not in Antarctica.
07:59You may have a plan for the grand suite, but the grim reality is that the house's first guest may
08:05be decidedly unwelcome.
08:07A Scottish West Coast winter whipped up by Thor himself.
08:14We need that heating on.
08:16I just can't handle if that mould came back.
08:18There's just too much.
08:19I'm not mentally equipped to deal with that again.
08:23Fortunately, plumber John is here.
08:25To judge whether the house's elderly heating system is up to the challenge.
08:31Looking at the boiler at the minute, I don't think you need a new boiler.
08:34The burner is needing some parts changed on it.
08:38Okay, that sounds good.
08:42We do need oil.
08:43As soon as you get oil, we can get you heat and hot water.
08:46So I just need to figure out how to get oil into the tank.
08:52What might be an idea is get a thousand litres delivered to the Pier and Mull.
08:55Yeah.
08:55And get 25 litre drums and say do 10 at a time.
08:59There's good news.
08:59Problem solved.
09:00Gonna have hot water.
09:02What?
09:03What a luxury.
09:10Approaching any bedroom with limited funds is tricky because you really want a statement piece.
09:15But a little birdie told me Knock Dairy Castle might just have the thing I need and it won't cost
09:21me a penny.
09:23With Banjo off hunting for that one statement piece,
09:27Ro is left to oversee the ongoing work at the house and keep an eye on the island business.
09:33But trouble has a way of coming from the most unexpected quarters.
09:38So we took him for his usual checkup and then the vet called and said,
09:41you need to bring him in straight away because they've found cancerous cells.
09:47So took him straight back in.
09:49They've removed the lump and then three centimetres around the lump.
09:54And I'm just waiting for the results back from that.
09:57Hoping it's been on.
09:58That's what I'm hoping for.
10:00I'm just trying to be strong because I know Banjo will be quite upset by it.
10:1259.17 miles from Ulver House as the crow flies stands the imposing Knock Dairy Castle.
10:23If you wanted it, we would love you forever.
10:26Really?
10:27Yeah.
10:27Oh, is it like I'd be doing you a favour?
10:29Yeah.
10:29But it's so cool and everybody wants it to be restored and be used.
10:33Okay.
10:38Oh, wow.
10:40I love it.
10:42Wow.
10:44Oh, that is some tub.
10:48What's the catch?
10:49I'm just going to get it off.
10:50You have to get it out.
10:51Get it off.
10:51Get it home.
10:52That's the main catch.
10:53You can go in it.
10:54Yeah.
10:54Oh, she's got a good size.
10:58How much do you want for her?
11:00I mean, if you can take it, you can have it.
11:02What?
11:03Deal.
11:04Deal.
11:05Nice doing business with you.
11:07This is worth the hassle.
11:09I think so.
11:09Oh, God.
11:10All that remains now is to figure out how to get a 200 kilo antique cast iron tub off the
11:18roof of a castle and back to Ulva.
11:27Back on the island, news arrives concerning Grandpa.
11:33Grandpa is not dying.
11:43He's gone.
11:44I know, but he's like, um, he's like such a little, like, big part of our life, isn't he?
11:52Hmm.
11:53Yeah, I just assumed he'd always be a part of it.
11:57Yeah.
11:59I don't want him to die, though.
12:10The salon show is the event of the season on Mull.
12:14It is so revered that everyday life is politely asked to wait its turn.
12:20Islanders gather to present the fruits of their labour.
12:23Vegetables polished to an improbable sheen.
12:26Heifers handled with military precision.
12:29And dogs groomed to perfection.
12:39We've entered Grandpa in the dog show.
12:41We do every year.
12:42He's never won.
12:43It's actually a little bit of a conspiracy because he is the best looking dog on the island.
12:50Right.
12:50Okay.
12:51Now we have class six, any other large dog.
12:54We've got to get our stage on.
12:57I'm hoping Grandpa has fun and then maybe get some ribbon.
13:01We'll see what happens.
13:03And the band doesn't carry on like a pork chop and be a stage mum.
13:06They're from out of town.
13:09That's a professional dog shower.
13:11Come on.
13:12Come on.
13:15This is Grandpa.
13:17And how old's Grandpa?
13:18Eight years old.
13:19Come on, boy.
13:20Come on.
13:21Good boy.
13:22Rose nervous.
13:24God, Grandpa looks nervous, too.
13:27Come on.
13:28I don't know.
13:30There's some stiff competition.
13:42Third.
13:44Yay.
13:46Grandpa, you're my winner.
13:50Good boy.
13:51Good boy.
13:53I'm going to get him a steak for dinner.
14:04In the chilly hours and minutes of uncertainty, I want to be in the warm hold of your loving mind.
14:19Imagine if you turned up here with your bags.
14:22There's still holes in the window, holes in the wall.
14:24Yeah, we're still in September.
14:26We've got time.
14:27It's October.
14:29Not yet, is it?
14:30Is it?
14:30It's October.
14:31October, November, December.
14:33So we just keep one foot in front of the other.
14:38If you can.
14:44The winters here, they are cold and very, very damp.
14:48So that's when you get the issues with things like mould.
14:51I think they've got another three weeks, basically, until it starts to get really, really cold.
14:56There's a race against time.
14:58So I think they really need to wake up and get on with it.
15:01On the Isle of Olver, winter punishes the unprepared.
15:06Fortunately, Ro is taking a delivery.
15:09This is actually going to be my life now.
15:11Filling up cans of oil, getting up to the house.
15:14Yeah, I will get fit, so that's a win.
15:16Yep.
15:25OK, so we're just going to drain out all the old oil in case it's bad.
15:32Get it emptied and clean so we can start putting the fresh stuff in.
15:37Got 100 litres.
15:39I think it holds 1,000, so it's 10 more loads to go.
15:43I'm building a pub in the Duket.
15:53Banja's obsessed with doing an island pub.
15:55Which, I get it, it's a pain in the bum to go all the way over tomorrow.
15:59We need to start finding a way to make money.
16:01Yeah, I just think if we focus on the one house that we've got.
16:04It's like the bloke that built the Taj Mahal for his wife.
16:08That felt like an extravagance at the time, I'm sure.
16:11I reckon he just worked on the Taj and got the Taj done.
16:14We don't have the time. We don't have the money.
16:16We don't have the resources. It's just got to stop.
16:19Like, we just focus on the house.
16:23This is going to blow your mind.
16:27Ta-da!
16:28OK.
16:30It's a pub saddle.
16:32Every little community needs a pub.
16:36It's the beating heart of a place.
16:39And are you going to run this pub?
16:41It'll be an honesty pub.
16:43Legally, I don't think you can have an honesty pub.
16:46Well, should we carry it this way?
16:47Yeah.
16:49BYO pub.
16:51How are we going to make money on a BYO pub?
16:56I've lost grit.
16:59Grit.
16:59All right.
17:01It's over.
17:16We're here for life.
17:17This is us.
17:18But it's going to be a while until this house starts making money.
17:21So the pub, that's our chance to start bringing in an income.
17:27But more than money, it's about having a space that the community can come together.
17:32I want everyone to be able to enjoy this place.
17:34It actually is very nice having a space away from the house.
17:38Yeah, it's nice.
17:39OK, so what are you calling it?
17:40The Ducat.
17:41The Ducat would be the Ducat.
17:43Yeah, there you go.
17:44That's quite a good one.
17:45Yeah.
17:45All right.
17:45All right.
17:46Welcome to the Ducat.
17:47The Ducat.
17:48To the Ducat.
17:49Yeah.
17:49Hell yeah.
17:50I think you need some heating in the place right enough.
17:53And probably a licence.
17:55You don't have a licence?
17:57I mean, you can't sell beer.
17:59It just means you can give it away for free.
18:04The morning after the night before, attention returns to the bedroom and the chosen colour scheme.
18:10Look at that.
18:11Look how rich that colour is.
18:14It's kind of the colour of cow poo when they're sick.
18:18Not even just a cow paddy, it's when a cow is sick.
18:21I see what you're doing, like the inspiration from the wolf and the outside and the wilderness.
18:26And it does feel very earthy and very warm.
18:29Yeah.
18:30What about the wall?
18:32Yeah, is that gonna, is that the finished colour?
18:36God, you know just the right thing to say.
18:41The well is running dry, the money tree has stopped growing.
18:46I really need another statement piece and if I'm gonna get it, I need to call in a favour.
18:53I've got a surprise.
18:54What? I'm out in the rain.
18:56We're getting a delivery.
18:57Hear that?
18:58What have you done?
19:01Periods agreed in transit.
19:04Approaching the long house.
19:07Oh, yeah!
19:14Oh my gorgeous bathroom!
19:17This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.
19:21Oh, she's beautiful!
19:40I'm just flabbergasted. I don't even know, I actually don't know what to say.
19:44You didn't have to do anything.
19:45That's what everyone wants when they come to a fancy guest house.
19:49Where are you gonna put this?
19:50It's the bedroom, right in front of the French doors.
19:53Have you got plumbing and everything in place for that?
19:56None of this makes sense to me. Usually I can kind of rationalise your mind.
20:00You've lost me.
20:01That's from the top of the castle.
20:03It doesn't even have feet.
20:04Where's the taps?
20:06Where's the waste?
20:07That's all to come.
20:08You didn't get this from the top of a castle.
20:10Yes I did.
20:10This has been in a field for cows to eat out of.
20:13I'm having nothing to do with this bar.
20:15Fine.
20:17I'll be the first to admit my ideas aren't always right,
20:20but I still maintain that is a beautiful piece.
20:23So mark my words, I will find a use for that bath.
20:26Just right now my creativity's been stifled a bit.
20:31Banjo may have lost the battle of the bath in the bedroom,
20:35but its energy is far from spent.
20:39It's merely redirected.
20:43So I have changed my mind.
20:45Oh, shocking revelation.
20:46I'm going to take that pub settle and turn it into a headboard.
20:50I really need another statement piece.
20:52I went out of drink in the pub and now he's going to make a headboard.
20:55What a beautiful journey.
20:57I know.
20:58We're just trying to save on time and money.
21:00Exactly what I've done.
21:01The settle's there and it'll cost nothing.
21:04Okay, fine, fine.
21:10You know, all these pubs shutting around the country.
21:12Mm-hmm.
21:13You've found a good home for it.
21:14Exactly.
21:16With Banjo's statement piece underway,
21:19Ro is turning his attention to window panes
21:21that have gone missing in action.
21:24When we had the storm the other week,
21:25the doors blew open and smashed it.
21:28I've never cut glass before, but should be all right, I guess.
21:40Yeah, brilliant.
21:46There's a tiny gap across there.
21:50That's the difference between four and five stars.
21:52I'm going to hear that whistling in the night when we're sleeping in here.
21:55No, we're not sleeping in here.
21:56Are you joking?
21:57Are you joking?
21:58No, I've come too far and spent too much money not to check into my own hotel.
22:03If you can't keep our bedroom clean, you're dreaming if you think you're going to stay in here.
22:08Are you for real?
22:09Yeah.
22:17After months of tinkering and a few late nights,
22:22the antiquated boiler may be about to breathe warmth into the house
22:26for the first time in nearly seven years.
22:30Ah, gosh, could it be?
22:33Do we have hot water?
22:35That's hot water to the whole house, eh?
22:37Yes, we've got hot water to go far!
22:41Yes!
22:43Yes!
22:44Yes!
22:46Wow!
22:48Oh!
22:50Oh, poor man.
22:51I could have a shower without having to go across the ocean.
22:57Oh, I thought this day would never come.
23:00Me too.
23:01The radiator up!
23:03Well, the towel rail's hot.
23:05Oh, we've got a hot towel rail as well!
23:08What a day to be alive.
23:10Oh!
23:11Do you have a bath snacks menu?
23:14No.
23:15A bath snacks?
23:21With heat and hot water restored,
23:24and Banjo's antique bath finding a temporary home,
23:28it's now time to apply the final, charming touches
23:33to the hotel's very first guest room.
23:50For the grand suite, Banjo wrapped the walls, ceiling and floor
23:55in an autumnal colour scheme drawn from the island's own palette.
24:01At its heart sits a one-of-a-kind bed that started life as a pub settle,
24:07all conjured from an enchanting island folktale.
24:20Atis, the sky wolf.
24:23The inspiration for this room.
24:25It's sitting here at night, watching the aurora through the sky.
24:30Can you imagine?
24:31Do you know what my favourite thing about this room is?
24:33Why?
24:34We're not in a bath right now.
24:35I would say that's the one shortcoming.
24:38It feels very calm.
24:40Super calm.
24:41Do you know this is probably the first time I felt relaxed
24:44during this home project?
24:49I've invited Awen and his partner, Becky.
24:52They're my test guests.
24:53I want to make sure that room is just humming perfectly.
24:58I hope you're right.
25:04Welcome.
25:06Wow.
25:08Oh, it looks so good.
25:09It's the bed.
25:10Made by a master craftsman.
25:12Mm-hmm.
25:13Awen made this little special room.
25:16Did he?
25:17Must be special.
25:19Oh, nice.
25:21Basically, you're giving it a test drive.
25:23We'll let you freshen up.
25:24If you need anything, just ring the bell.
25:27Okay.
25:27Yeah.
25:27Ring the bell.
25:28Namaste.
25:37What did they think?
25:39It's nice.
25:40It's comfy.
25:40Nice and warm feeling in here, doesn't it?
25:43Yeah, it is.
25:44It's lovely.
25:52That bedroom feels like it's sprung out of the island.
25:56Hasn't it?
25:57I think I would quite like a mirror.
25:59Mm-hmm.
26:00So somewhere like maybe like a dressing table.
26:03When you look at that view and you see the forest and the trees and the fields and the nature,
26:09it just feels like you've managed to capture that and bring that inside.
26:12And it feels so peaceful and so calm.
26:15Yeah.
26:16Love the bar and the atmosphere is very, very peaceful.
26:21Yeah.
26:22I like that.
26:28I was on Struggle Street a couple of weeks ago.
26:32Like, I just ran out of juice.
26:35I just feel like there's so much more to go.
26:38And there is.
26:40And I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by it.
26:42But it's tricky, isn't it?
26:43You know?
26:48I think I can see the finish line.
26:54We have hot water.
26:55We have electricity.
26:57We've got finished rooms.
26:59I think it's been really hard and it's tested us way more than I think we could have realised.
27:07The way you helped me up when I was down and I won't forget.
27:12Do you think this is going to work?
27:14I think something's going to work.
27:17I don't know what it is.
27:18I think we've got the beginning of something very special.
27:25I hope you're right.
27:37I hope you're right.
27:38I hope you're right.
27:43I hope you're right.
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