Natascha McElhone stars in first trailer for Hotel Portofino
The BritBox drama is a lavish period drama set at "a classic English hotel on the Italian Riviera".
Natascha McElhone leads the cast of new BritBox period drama Hotel Portofino – and RadioTimes.com can reveal an exclusive first look at the trailer.
The series – which premieres on the streaming service on Thursday 27th January – tells the story of Bella Ainsworth (McElhone), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist who travels from the UK to the titular Italian village to set up a hotel in the 1920s.
In the trailer, we see the hotel described as "a classic English hotel on the Italian Riviera" while Bella's son Lucian explains that the reason behind his family's decision to set up a hotel in Italy was to give them "a fresh start".
Meanwhile, all sorts of major drama is teased – including what looks like an act of art theft, a showdown with an Italian fascist, and the arrival of the local police, so it looks like guests at the hotel might not be treated to a particularly relaxing stay.
You can check out the full trailer below, ahead of the launch of the series later this month.
McElhone is joined in the cast by Mark Umbers (Collateral) and Anna Chancellor (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as well as a string of Italian stars including Daniele Pecci, Lorenzo Richelmy, and Rocco Fasano.
A full synopsis of the series, which also features a whodunnit mystery as part of its story, reads: "The Hotel has only been open a few weeks, but the guests including the imperious Lady Latchmere are demanding and hard-to-please.
"Bella Ainsworth the co-proprietor and moving spirit behind the hotel, quickly finds herself being targeted by a scheming and corrupt local politician, Signor Danioni (Pasquale Esposito), who threatens to drag her into the red-hot political cauldron of Mussolini’s Italy."
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The series is created and written by Professor T and Before We Die scribe Matt Baker, while Adam Wimpenny is in the director's chair. Following its BritBox premiere, the series will air on ITV in 2023.
Hotel Portofino comes to BritBox on Thursday 27th January 2022. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide or visit our Drama hub for all the latest news and features.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
