''Inside Claridge's'' is a British documentary television series that first broadcast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

on 3 December 2012. The final episode aired on 17 December 2012. The series documented a year behind the scenes of

Claridge's Claridge's is a 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. It has long-standing connections with royalty that have led to it sometimes being referred to as an "annexe to Buckingham Palace". Claridge's Ho ...

, a five-star hotel located in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

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Episode list

Reception

Ratings

The first episode attracted 3.09 million viewers on BBC Two. It was watched by 13% of the television viewers during its original broadcast. The second episode was viewed by 4.25 million people with an audience share of 16.8%. The final episode received 4.46 million viewers and an 18.5% share of the audience. The first episode was the second most watched programme on BBC Two for that week, behind ''

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'' which was watched by 3.24 million viewers. The second and final episodes were the most watched on BBC Two for their weeks. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'' called ''Inside Claridge's'' "a soaraway ratings hit".

Critical reception

''Inside Claridge's'' received positive reviews. Gerard Gilbert, a journalist writing for ''The Independent'' wrote:

ITV's 2010 documentary series about the
Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. ...
came across as a monumental puff-piece for the refurbishment of that landmark London hostelry, but the new series about
Claridge's Claridge's is a 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. It has long-standing connections with royalty that have led to it sometimes being referred to as an "annexe to Buckingham Palace". Claridge's Ho ...
(home from home for
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, Madonna and various royal families) is something else entirely – by dint of it being the work of Jane Treays, a film-maker unafraid to ask a blunt question and capture a telling moment.

John Crace writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' said:

From its opening shot of one of the staff doing the nightly clean of the 800-piece chandelier to the final credits, ''Inside Claridge's'' was an exquisite piece of documentary-making that never put a foot wrong. Director Jane Treays never actually appeared on camera, but she was a presence throughout with her off-screen questions. Unlike some documentary-makers who have the knack of putting their subjects on the defensive, she gnawed away at hers with love and was repaid time and again with delightful indiscretions, such as the correct way to address The Edge.

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s Alex Hardy called the documentary series "a great recruitment ad: the hotel staff seem as content as

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

's toy tester in ''

Big Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...

''."

Rachel Cooke Rachel Cooke (born 1969) is a British journalist and writer. Early life Cooke was born in Sheffield, and is the daughter of a university lecturer. She went to school in Jaffa, Israel, until she was 11, before returning to Sheffield, and atte ...

wrote in the ''

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'' about her surprise by the hotel's decision to allow the BBC to film a documentary there and called the series "a little stretched" because there were not enough characters to fill up the three episodes. BBC Two controller

Janice Hadlow Janice Vivienne Hadlow (born November 1957) in Lewisham is a former BBC television executive. She was the controller of the BBC television channel BBC Two, taking over this position in November 2008 having previously been controller of BBC Four. ...

praised the series "for not showing people's foibles in a cruel way." After the series concluded, visits to the hotel's TripAdvisor page increased by 1769%.

Awards

''Inside Claridge's'' was shortlisted for the

Grierson Awards The Grierson Awards are awards set up by The Grierson Trust to recognise innovative and exciting documentary films, created to commemorate the life and work of the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson. The inaugural Awards w ...

' British Documentary Award in 2013. It was also nominated as the best documentary series in the Broadcast Awards 2014.

Home media

The DVD edition of ''Inside Claridge's'' was released on 20 January 2014.

References

External links

* * *{{Radio Times, programme/s6qnx/inside-claridges, title=''Inside Claridge's''
''Inside Claridge's''
at

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2012 British television series debuts 2012 British television series endings BBC high definition shows BBC television documentaries Business-related television series in the United Kingdom English-language television shows Hospitality industry in the United Kingdom Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in London