ULVA, Scotland, June 26 — TV cameras are heading back to a tiny island off Scotland’s west coast, as Banjo and Ro Beale begin filming a second series of Grand Island Hotel on Ulva. Banjo, the 2022 winner of BBC One’s Interior Design Masters, and his husband Ro — a cheesemaker and distiller — first documented their project to turn a derelict mansion into a boutique hotel.
The series was a hit for the BBC and sparked a tourist boom so intense that the island’s 16 residents asked for Sunday ferries to be stopped to get some peace. Now the pair are returning to continue the renovation.
This time they’ll be joined by their new Scottish Deerhound puppy, Cousin Jerry, along with their usual band of handymen and locals. “We’re so excited to be back,” Banjo said. “We blew our budget last year so this time around we’re really getting creative.”
Bigger plans, bigger family
“The plans are bigger, and so is our family,” he added. “As we continue the ambitious restoration of Ulva House, we’ll be welcoming new puppies, peacocks, a llama and plenty of drama. Life on a remote island is never straightforward, but that’s exactly what makes it such an adventure.” Banjo and Ro relocated to Ulva in 2025, along with Grampa the dog, embracing the challenges of remote island life and a limited budget to transform the abandoned Ulva House into a destination hotel.
Ro offered a wry take on their approach. “Most people, after renovating a crumbling mansion on a remote island, would probably have a lie down,” he said.
“Banjo looked at the situation and decided what we really needed was more animals, more projects and less money. So naturally we’ve got grand plans to finish the hotel and somehow, even more hare-brained schemes.” The new series will follow the couple as they push ahead with the restoration, wrangling animals, budgets, and the unpredictable realities of life on a remote island. No premiere date has been announced yet.
