Reunion Hotel on BBC2 is a bit like a wonderful cross between Long Lost Family and First Dates Hotel. Hosted by The One Show’s Alex Jones, the six-part series in spring 2023 follows ordinary people as they’re taken to a posh hotel in Wales where they get the chance to reunite with someone special from their past, either to say thank you, seek forgiveness or get the answers they’ve always wanted.
Meanwhile, hotel staff, a team of counsellors and Alex herself are all on hand for support! "It's a bit like First Dates in that we’re in this hotel and the people who we’re reuniting arrive as guests," says Alex. "With each show there’s a real rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes you're shocked, sometimes you're crying, sometimes the reunion is completely joyous and happy. So I’d say strap in and get the tissues ready!"
Here’s everything you need to know about Reunion Hotel on BBC2…
Reunion Hotel release date
Reunion Hotel will launch on BBC2 on Thursday April 6 at 8pm. It’s a six-part series and will also be shown on BBCiPlayer.
Is there a trailer for Reunion Hotel?
There’s no trailer yet for Reunion Hotel but we’ll be sure to post it here as soon as it lands!
What happens in Reunion Hotel and how it works?
Reunion Hotel sees guests arrive at Iscoyd Park, north Wales, and then get ready to meet up again with someone from their past who’ve they’ve lost touch with.
In the first episode, Tegan gets to thank the man who saved her life when she fell onto a tube track, and Lee meets his older brother for the first time. There’s also a surprisingly emotional reunion between Rhiannon and a team of volunteer builders who renovated her home to provide a medical room for her daughter, Pippa, who has a rare skin condition.
Meanwhile, later in the series, reunions include a father and daughter meeting for the first time, as well as 1970s girlband The Fabs, who get to reconnect with the Swedish boyband they met during a year-long hotel residency in Mexico!
Interview: Alex Jones on hosting Reunion Hotel
What’s the concept of Reunion Hotel?
Alex Jones says: “Well, it’s a bit like a warm hug really! So it’s set in a lovely hotel in north Wales where we give people a chance to be reunited with someone from their past. But while obviously it's television programme, we're really aware that this is about people's lives. In some cases these are stories that people have held on to for years. So it felt like a real privilege to have people share things with me that they hadn’t ever said out loud. It’s the programme that I've been waiting for really – probably one of my favourite shows I’ve ever made!”
What type of stories are involved?
“All sorts! We’ve got adoptions stories, romantic stories, friendship stories, and stories about forgiveness and thanks. The spread of reasons whey people want to get back in touch with someone is so wide and varied that even I was surprised. I'd never know on a morning who might walk through the hotel doors, and I loved that about the series. I’m hoping that people are ready for a bit of an emotional rollercoaster!”
Were there any standout stories that particularly moved you, or where you struggled to keep it together?
Alex says: “Completely! I'm pretty much an open book anyway, but since becoming a mum I’m hopeless with any emotional story involving a child. So in one episode we meet a young single mum, whose five-year-old daughter has this condition that means she has very little mobility. But a local care home raised an incredible amount of money to have this special suit made that meant she could finally stand up and walk. I mean, I was in bits! But some of the stories are also really funny, hilarious even. We reunited this girlband and boyband from the 1970s and they were up until 4am drinking the hotel bar dry!”
Did you find it quite a responsibility to make sure the reunions went well?
“Absolutely, everyone put so much faith in us and it felt so important to make that moment right for them. But the whole thing was very organic and very real because all the cameras were hidden and nobody was in the room with them at the time. Throughout the series I’m also more like a friend or a confidante than a presenter, plus we've also got a team of counsellors and adoption specialists on hand, too.”
Has Reunion Hotel made you think about anyone you'd like to be reunited with?
“Yes, I had an incredible drama teacher called Delyth Nicholas. I was horrendously shy when I was younger and drama was my absolute worst nightmare. But she helped me with my confidence and I honestly don’t think I’d be having this conversation with TV Times now if it wasn't for her! We’ve kept in touch a little bit over the years through my parents. But I'd love to sit down and have a cup of cup of tea with her and thank her properly for everything she did!”
You joined The One Show 13 years ago now. What is it you still love about it?
“The unpredictability! There’s nothing like live telly to keep you on your toes. Honestly, the years have flown by and it doesn’t feel like I’ve been there all that time because every night is so different. Also the pandemic served as a big reminder of just how important the show is to people. There were many viewers, particularly those living on their own, who said, ‘you’re the only person I feel I know who I see during the day.’ I still absolutely love it!”
Where is Reunion Hotel filmed?
Reunion Hotel is filmed at Iscoyd Park, a private country house that is a wedding and events venue. It is on the borders of North Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire, and yes you can book Iscoyd Park for an event such a wedding or big party.
Alex Jones recently returned to Iscoyd Park for the series launch of Reunion Hotel, saying: “Being back at Iscoyd Park to watch the first episode of Reunion Hotel was very special. This show is an emotional journey as we bring people together that are connected through an incredible story. Watching it with a room full of people, hearing them laugh and even get emotional, is what the show is all about.”
