Hotel Babylon – second series coming soon to 91Èȱ¬ One
Tamzin Outhwaite plays Rebecca Mitchell, General Manager
Tamzin Outhwaite is undisputedly one of the UK's most popular and busy actors but having worked steadily for the last few years she is finally taking a well-deserved break and intends to enjoy her first year of marriage when she leaves Hotel Babylon at the end of this run. (Tamzin married actor Tom Ellis last summer).
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"I am going to do nothing for a while – just relax and enjoy myself, my new husband and my new house and have a bit of a laugh for a while."
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"I originally signed up to do two years and I have enjoyed every minute of it but I'm really looking forward to a break. Having said that I would come back for the musical version of Babylon! Wouldn't that be brilliant or perhaps as a guest in a future episode," she laughs.
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Romance off-screen for Tamzin couldn't be better while romance on-screen for Rebecca begins to hot-up with a bit of a sizzle between her and Charlie.
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"There's a bit of a frisson between Charlie and Rebecca that progresses to a passionate snog which may seem the natural course for them. However what's really weird is kissing someone who feels like he's your brother," she laughs.
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"For the whole of series one we were partners and in series two we begin to get more friendly and are much more of a team – one day you open the script to see that we have to kiss which is much more weird than when you don't know someone."
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"And I've done scenes like that loads of times but they are always a bit strange," she continues, "you do ask yourself how much garlic have I eaten or did I have onions."
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In series two the character of Rebecca becomes a lot more integrated with the rest of the team and begins to drop the cold exterior that defined her so much in series one.
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"She always seemed angry with the staff and there was almost an element of fear driving her relationship with them. This year she is more supportive of her team and a lot friendlier with Tony, Charlie and the girls. She is much more humane and shows her softer side since she split with her husband," she adds.
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"Last year she was verging on the edge of a nervous breakdown, her private life was in tatters, she'd had a fling with someone who was her senior manager and her life revolved around the hotel. She was always good with the guests but couldn't quite manage to communicate with the staff without barking at them."
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This year however viewers are set to see a much warmer Rebecca and a General Manager who is willing to put her staff before the guests particularly in episode two.
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"She is about to be divorced from Mark and is a much friendlier person because there is a lot less angst in her life. She is still career driven but sees her staff as people rather than numbers now."
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"She clearly hasn't had a passionate relationship or sex with anyone since the break-up of her marriage and she becomes quite girly and smitten with Charlie when they snog at the Christmas do.
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"She is a terrible cook and Charlie is brilliant and he literally charms the socks of her. By the end of it all she is a bit of a puppy dog and ends up chasing Charlie which is sad," she laughs.
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"But unbeknown to her Charlie has other family issues going on at the time (episode seven) which he can't talk about but she reads this as rejection and is clearly hurt by it," she adds.
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Former lover of Charlie and Hotel Babylon's Head of Housekeeping the gorgeous Jackie discovers Charlie and Rebecca in a full-on clinch in a cupboard at the staff Christmas party which obviously puts Rebecca in a compromising position.
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"Rebecca is embarrassed that she was caught out by Jackie and is desperate to re-assert her authority. But Jackie doesn't discuss it with the other staff.
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"She's really worried about keeping it quiet but acts like a bit of a nymphomaniac nonetheless when alone with Charlie. Her main concern is that this is incredibly compromising and could lead to someone losing their job – most likely her but the danger drives her on."
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Charlie and Rebecca have to cook Christmas dinner for the staff but Rebecca is a lousy cook while Charlie is in his element in the kitchen.
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Taking over proceedings Charlie whips up a dream feast and Rebecca is impressed. All the while they are sipping on some of Gino's expensive brandy and end up pretty drunk. When it comes to dishing up, Charlie gives all the credit to Rebecca and takes a back seat while she soaks up the praise.
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"This is a side of Charlie that is new to Rebecca and she likes what she sees. Also the brandy helps rid her of her inhibitions."
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In reality Tamzin loves to cook and follows her mum's method of cooking which is to throw everything in the fridge together in one big pot...
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"I never get a cookery book out and think tonight I'm going to make??? I follow the Jamie Oliver and my mum's school of thought which is to trust your instincts and the flavours of food and mix it up together... "
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Spending eight months of the year on a programme leaves little time for other things that most of us take for granted like shopping for clothes and choosing our own hair colour! For Tamzin shopping comes at the end of wardrobe sale after filming wraps.
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"I never get time to go shopping while I'm working so quite often I will wait until the end of filming when the wardrobe department put the clothes on sale. I don't like going out in something I have been seen a lot in on TV but sometimes there will be a few pieces that haven't really been used much and those are the items I will go for.
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"As for Rebecca's suits I wouldn't wear them every day and I don't tend to power-dress to that extent – I don't need to in my job."
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As for her hair colour, Tamzin is toying with the idea of going back to her original brunette roots. "There is something about having dark hair in winter that is warm and cosy while in the summer I love to be blond. I also don't have to wear much make-up in the summer and I can get away with it when I am blond and have a bit of a tan," she adds.
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Tamzin is looking forward to the Christmas and New Year television dramas and entertainment and has her must sees already chosen.
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"I can't wait to see the next series of Planet Earth and The Wind In The Willows which is on at New Year and I missed The Royle Family Queen of Sheba special so I will definitely be asking for that in my christmas stocking.
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"Top favourite television this year included Extras, Catherine Tate, Little Britain and X-Factor which are absolute must sees."
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Of all the guest artists that appear in the new series of Hotel Babylon Tamzin has fond memories of Ronni Ancona.
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"We had so many, many brilliant people that popped in and out at various stages of filming and all were delightful but I guess Ronni and I had a real connection because we had a lot of scenes together and she was just so funny," she laughs.
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"On the first day of filming she said she hoped I wasn't cross with her because she had tried to do an impression of me in Eastenders that she found really difficult – apparently I was the hardest one to do."
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This is it for Rebecca Mitchell as Tamzin leaves at the end of the new series.
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"I only signed for two episodes so this is really her big send-off though I did say I would come back for the musical theatre version if that ever happens," she jokes.
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"I've loved playing her and it would be great if she came back as a little cameo at some point ... maybe as a guest but as General Manager this is it for Rebecca."
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Tamzin has often been asked where her favourite hotel in the world is but for her there is no more beautiful or peaceful destination than an island in the Maldives.
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"It is just extraordinary. You are actively encouraged not to wear shoes on the island. You can just do whatever you want to do and if that includes staying in your pjs or bikini all day that is your prerogative. I usually read books endlessly and of course mix it with the occasional dive"
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Working on Hotel Babylon certainly opened Tamzin's eyes to the "goings on" in the industry and enlightened her on the seedier side of the trade!
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"I've been lucky and privileged enough to stay in some gorgeous five-star hotels around the world but despite hearing stories and rumours, until I'd read Imogen's book I had no idea what went on," she laughs. "But having made two series of Babylon I find I do watch the staff more closely when I stay in a luxury hotel."
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