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Interior designer Banjo and husband Ro arrive on Ulva to revive a derelict mansion, battling a tiny budget, island logistics and their first big test - the crumbling library.

Off the west coast of Scotland, interior designer Banjo and husband Ro leave the Isle of Mull behind and head further into the Hebrides for the adventure of a lifetime. With their entire world squeezed onto a tiny ferry, they make their way to the even more remote island of Ulva.
Waiting for them is Ulva House, a once-grand mansion caught between splendour and disrepair. Their mission is bold - to turn this crumbling villa, currently without electricity or running water, into a one-of-a-kind boutique hotel. Attempting a restoration of this scale on an island off an island, with just 16 residents, will push Banjo and Ro to their limits.

The first job on the list is the collapsing old library. As 'chief imagination officer', Banjo is not interested in a simple patch-up and is instead dreaming of a sumptuous whisky library, complete with mohair chairs, glossy black cabinets and an oversized theatrical bar. Ever the pragmatist, Ro reminds him that everything must arrive by boat, so when Banjo appears on the quay with a three-metre zinc-topped bar, the question isn’t whether it suits the room, it’s whether it will fit on the ferry in the first place.

Time is against them, and they have only the summer months to get the house wind and watertight or they risk a crippling insurance bill once the Hebridean winter rolls in. However, just as the whisky library nears completion, a new test looms, as the influential chair of the Island Trust is heading over to inspect the work. Keen to win over the locals, Banjo and Ro are on edge. Will the chair approve of their bold vision, or will her verdict set the tone for the future of the project?

11 months left to watch

28 minutes

Audio described

Last on

Thursday19:30

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Credits

RoleContributor
NarratorJames Cosmo
Executive ProducerJoff Wilson
Executive ProducerWendy Rattray

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