The next chapter for Banjo Beale is more than just a design challenge—it’s an island reboot. BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer have greenlit six-part docuseries Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel, tracking Beale and his husband, Ro, as they relocate to the tiny Isle of Ulva for a full-scale renovation of a crumbling 19th-century mansion into a boutique hotel.
The series, now filming through October, follows the couple as they tackle Ulva House—once home to Lachlan MacQuarrie, the first Governor of Australia—amid the unpredictability of remote-island living, tight budgets, and an even tighter-knit community of just 14 people.
It’s a high-stakes move for the couple, who’ve packed up their lives—dog, pigs, chickens and all—for what Beale calls his “boldest and muddiest adventure yet.” The project is more than personal; it’s part of a wider push to revive Ulva as a sustainable, lived-in island with hospitality at its heart.
Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel hails from Hello Halo, with Joe Sharpe directing and producing. Wendy Rattray and Joff Wilson executive produce for Hello Halo alongside Steve Allen for BBC Scotland.
The series is slated to premiere in 2026 on BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland.
