*Warning – contains spoilers for all six episodes of Hotel Portofino season 2*
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While the second season of Hotel Portofino continues to air weekly on U&Drama, the full season is available to watch now on streaming service U, meaning many fans already know where it leaves things for Bella, Cecil and the rest of the characters.
Meanwhile, fans in the US know even further, as the show's third season has already aired stateside. As fans wait for it to arrive on this side of the Atlantic, Bella star Natascha McElhone spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com, and given hints as to some of the storylines that are coming up in season 3.
"I think we go pretty deep into family dynamics again and how people are made formed and fealty and vulnerability," she explained. "You know, we all behave like kids, actually, in that season, to some degree. But also there's a lovely business opportunity that emerges, and there's a lovely sense of sisterhood that emerges too that's great and really fun to play.
"And there's quite a lot of pizzazz and a couple of great numbers, singing and cabaret style, again, led by wonderful Lily Frazer. Yeah, there's lots to look forward to. And other romances that blossom, which are terrific."
Natascha McElhone as Bella in Hotel Portofino. UKTV
She continued: "And I think we get we dig more into the Italian side, local Italian life and what it is to be living under a sort of emerging dictatorship, and how threatening that is. So, yeah, it drills into to the historical context of it all."
The series, which follows the Ainsworth family after they establish a hotel for upper-class travellers on the Italian Riviera in the 1920s, aired its first season on ITVX, before moving to U and U&Drama for season 2.
Season 2 ends with Bella ending her relationship with her husband Cecil after a dramatic night at a casino opening, while it also sees a tragic end befall the character of Rose, Bella's daughter-in-law.
Alongside McElhone, the series stars Oliver Dench, Olivia Morris, Mark Umbers, Louisa Binder, Elizabeth Carling and Lucy Akhurst, among others.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
