Smooth. Very smooth. BBC Video has released Hotel Babylon, the first season (originally aired in 2006) of this attractive, polished drama from the U.K.. Based on the 2004 bestseller of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones and "Anonymous," Hotel Babylon has a wonderfully glossy, self-assured air about itself - totally the opposite impression I had of the series from the promos that were aired last year on BBC America. Catching those teasers, I thought Hotel Babylon might just be another trashy, hyped-up, empty sex romp like Footballers' Wives or the execrable Mile High, so I stayed away. But Hotel Babylon is rather light in tone, with a witty, sexy, '60s-type sweep and panache that caught me delightfully by surprise.

Borrowing not a little bit from other TV dramas like ABC's '80s soap Hotel or the recent NBC drama Las Vegas (along with, perhaps, a touch of Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London when the series occasionally takes a look at the less-glamorous activities of the hotel's underclass staff), Hotel Babylon revolves around a luxury five-star hotel in London, the staff who run it, and the various guests (and their subsequent routine-to-bizarre behavior) who stay there. Anchoring the show is "regular guy" narrator and lead Charlie Edwards (Max Beesley), the hotel's front desk clerk who, in the first episode, successfully lands the job of Deputy Manager. His boss, Manager Rebecca Mitchell (Tamzin Outhwaite), is gorgeous and tough and knows the hotel business and its secrets inside and out - while keeping some secrets of her own personal life from the staff. Tony Casemore (Dexter Fletcher) is the hotel's concierge, a wizard who can produce anything from sold-out theater tickets to London's best-looking whores for lonely businessmen (or women). Anna Thornton-Wilton (Emma Pierson) now occupies Charlie's old position at the front desk; she's a manipulative and ruthless climber - just what Charlie found attractive about her when they were once-only lovers prior to her coming to the Babylon. Sharing Charlie's bed now (more correctly beds, since they're doing it all over the hotel in empty rooms) is Australian illegal immigrant Jackie Clunes (Natalie Jackson Mendoza), who manages the housekeeping department. The regulars on the staff are rounded out by Gino (Martin Marquez), the Italian/Spanish bartender; Ben (Michael Obiora), the gay front desk clerk, and James (Raymond Coulthard), the gloriously snooty English restaurant manager.

SPOILERS ALERT!

Fearful of watching yet another boring, whip-pan-addicted, knickers-off-every-two-minutes, salacious U.K. important, Hotel Babylon almost immediately ran contrary to my expectations. Created and co-written by Tony Basgallop, Hotel Babylon isn't above pushing style over substance, but how that "style" is pushed, and the tone of that "style," is something that's almost invariably murdered by TV series today which wish to come off as "provocative" and "edgy," but which wind up usually appearing puerile and tacky. Hotel Babylon's style, though, harkens back to the more glamorous '60s kinds of Hollywood big-screen entertainment, with a traditional, classical emphasis on sleek, expensive-looking interiors, fluid camera work, attractive actors, and solid, old-fashioned story-telling.

I've written about this phenomenon before, but the essence of classical Hollywood filmmaking (and by extension, American network TV during its golden age), was an assuredness of production, regardless of the merit of its content. The studio system encouraged a recognizable "house style" for each company, and overall, a product from that system, regardless of the studio, was identifiable all over the world as coming from "Hollywood." There was a confidence, a "conviction of technique," if you will, to those productions that I see also in Hotel Babylon. It's not that Hotel Babylon will win any awards for screenwriting or directing, but there is a remarkably consistent atmosphere of icy cool poise and self-confidence to the proceedings that's a breath of fresh air in comparison to the overheated nonsense of some of the tripe that passes for "daring" on TV today.

Critically, there's also a lightness of touch, of detached irony and humor, that makes Hotel Babylon such a breezy affair. Key to that is the anchoring performance of Max Beesley as Charlie. Cool, composed, quietly authoritative, yet still open to a spontaneous hook-up with the devastatingly sexy Mendoza, Beesley is the perfect audience guide through the kinky world of the Babylon, calmly narrating the events we watch unfold, never judging them but giving them just the emphasis we need to see the screenwriters' points. To be honest, I've never noticed Beesley before in anything (evidently, he's a household name over in England), but he's obviously somebody to watch in the future. His first appearance on the screen reminded me of the first time I saw Michael Caine - not a bad connection for an up-and-coming actor.

Playing smartly off Beesley is the equally cool (unless she's riled), tough Tamzin Outhwaite as Manager Rebecca Mitchell. The producers are careful to show the character right from the start as a conflicted workaholic whose marriage has been seriously damaged by an office fling. Outhwaite (who I remember from EastEnders) is quite good at getting across the vulnerability of Rebecca - even though the outwardly tough, inwardly soft and vulnerable professional woman isn't exactly a ground-breaking character. The producers are also smart to keep her and Charlie essentially in opposition. Frequently during these eight episodes, I assumed Charlie and Rebecca would sleep together - or at least become "friends." But Charlie and Rebecca are usually only joined together by conflict at the hotel, undercutting the audience's expectations of a traditional romance/office relationship.

As for Hotel Babylon's "bizarre" happenings behind the glittering closed doors of its lobby, the events really aren't all that bizarre or even mildly scandalous. Anybody watching TV for the last five years will have seen far more outré moments from at least half a dozen other series. Wisely, the producers of the series downplay (or outright cut away from) these moments in favor of character reactions, keeping the focus always on the story and the people, and not on the sensationalism, again reinforcing that lightness of touch that makes the show so enjoyable. As well, the "insider" feel of the series (no doubt enhanced by the reportedly real events that are recounted in the source book) gives the viewer a fun, knowing peek into the workings (and scams) of a big hotel, adding an air of verisimilitude to Hotel Babylon that helps balance the more sensationalistic moments.

Not everything works here, of course. When the series abandons its primary goal (to entertain) to become "meaningful" (to teach us something we don't need to hear from a TV show), it rapidly loses its way (an episode on illegal immigration is ridiculously wrong-headed in its conflicted, unfocused jabs in the dark about the problem). As well, when the series tries to be overtly comic, instead of coolly ironic, it can come off as forced and unfunny. There's an episode that has the maler-than-male Gino the bartender getting lessons on how to act gay - in order to push away a gay customer (I know; I bet it didn't even make sense to the actors) - that's embarrassingly overdone. Certainly, Gino, Ben the gay desk clerk, and James the restaurant manager are peripheral characters (James in particular seems like a character brimming with potential, yet who is almost invisible in terms of screen time), often used strictly as comic relief. Perhaps that's why they don't seem to work well within the overall framework of the series. Hotel Babylon depends on a consistent British deadpan tone, not Benny Hill. And when it sticks to that mood, it's quite satisfying.

Here are the first 8 episodes of Hotel Babylon:

Floor 1
The frequently bizarre world of the Hotel Babylon is introduced. Rebecca is looking for a deputy manager, and Charlie wants the job. But he may lose it to former lover Anna. A rock band newly on the wagon doesn't provide the expected doss for the hotel, and Rebecca is hiding a secret - as she surreptitiously stays at the hotel.

Floor 2
Tony is given mixed signals on whether or not the hotel welcomes hookers (in a nutshell: it does), and tries to throw one out. Only, she's a guest, and Tony is now on Rebecca's hit list. A suicidal guest keeps Charlie busy, and an elderly former employee takes her last stay at the Babylon.

Floor 3
Charlie and Tony arrange a sham of a marriage for the daughter of a wealthy Russian "businessman," secure in the knowledge they will make a fortune in kickbacks and overcharging when the wedding is staged at the Babylon. Unfortunately, the hotel dishwasher they hire as the groom has ideas above his station.

Floor 4
Charlie and Anna hook up -- with guests. Will Anna quit the Babylon to snag a millionaire -- or will she take his money when she mistakenly believes he thinks she's a hooker? And will Charlie discover how his ex-con friend Pete is involved with stunner Alice?

Floor 5
Rebecca reunites with her husband, while the illegal immigrant staff staves off the relentless pursuits of the coppers, who are looking to export them all...including Jackie.

Floor 6
A spooky night shift gradually freaks out Anna, who believes a guest has been dismembered by her husband. Charlie is incredulous, until he starts to connect up the clues himself.

Floor 7
Money has been stolen off a guest, and everybody is a suspect to the demanding Rebecca. A hotel inspector is also about, but a domineering auditor is the biggest obstacle to the Babylon staff.

Floor 8
Rebecca is on the war path when the hotel receives a poor rating on their recent inspection. Further complicating matters is the arrival of her former lover - and his tempting offer for more. And Charlie befriends a notorious mobster...with little thought to his own safety.

The DVD:

The Video:
The anamorphically enhanced, 1.78:1 widescreen video image for Hotel Babylon doesn't suffer from any PAL transfer problems; it's bright, clear, and nicely detailed, with a subtly balanced color value.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English 2.0 stereo audio mix is adequate if unspectacular, but to be fair, the show is largely dialogue-driven. English subtitles are available.

The Extras:
There is a full-length commentary track for the first episode with producer Christopher Aird and director Alrick Riley. It's informative, particularly with details about how certain scenes were altered and changed in post-production. There's also a behind-the-scenes featurette, The Making of Hotel Babylon, which runs 47:51, giving the cast and crew a chance to discuss the series and its production.

Final Thoughts:
Sinuous, glamorous, and sleek, the subtle, ironic Hotel Babylon takes the viewer back to the assured confidence of 60s Hollywood features with a cool, detached tone that's refreshing in comparison to today's tacky, pseudo-outrageous nighttime dramas. The cast is excellent, particularly leads Max Beesley and Tamzin Outhwaite. I'm looking forward to the next eight episodes. I highly recommend Hotel Babylon.