Silky Hotel: meet the Manchester creative team behind the comedy which is now back on BBC iPlayer

A TV comedy which was made in Manchester is available to view once again.

Silky Hotel first appeared on BBC iPlayer last year and has now been put back onto the on-demand streaming service for Valentine’s Day.

That means viewers now have several months to enjoy the exploits of endearingly hopeless hoteliers and romance gurus Barbara and Jim as they try to maintain the fortunes of the establishment of the title.

ManchesterWorld caught up with writers and executive producers Sara Cocker and Léonie Higgins and producer Loran Dunn, all three of whom are based in the city, about creating Silky Hotel and the programme returning for people to see once more.

What is Silky Hotel about?

Silky Hotel tells the story of Barbara and Jim who run the place to stay in the title of the comedy.

The couple think they are in charge of the ultimate romantic getaway, whether it’s the billowing gauze of The Meatloaf Suite, the twinkling lights on The Kem & Amber Terrace, the aroma of oysters in the air or the original tent peg from Brokeback Mountain.

However, all is not well with the business with guests staying away in their droves and the debt collectors closing in.

Barbara takes a desperate last-ditch gamble on an advert in the local paper asking for romantic hotels to appear on TV, which brings flashy television producer Coral to their door.

Under her withering eye Barbara has to convince the staff to come up to scratch so Silky Hotel makes it onto the small screen to avoid checking out for good.

How was the programme created?

Silky Hotel was written by Sara and Léonie, who have their own theatre company Eggs Collective and have combined outings on screen with their work on stage and in cabaret.

They talked about how they came up with the initial idea that would eventually become the TV comedy.

Sara, who is from Reddish, said: “We had the characters and the sense of it. We had been thinking about romance and love and trying to unpick our personal feelings about how complex that can be.

“Léonie and I are always drawn to slightly heightened characters and worlds. It just felt like a hotel was the perfect context and the ideal vehicle to explore romance.

“I think we’ve also stayed in some hotels on tour that feel pretty adjacent to Silky Hotel.”

Léonie, who lives in Hulme, said: “The idea that Barbara and Jim have s that it’s actually amazing and they don’t think it’s behind the times. They think it’s a brilliant hotel.

“We’re drawn to characters who have lovely, well-intentioned delusions about them.

“We talked about the character of Barbara a lot and felt like we really understood who she was.”

The duo began talking to the BBC about the project and that put them in touch with Levenshulme-based producer Loran, who runs Delaval Film, as they wanted someone northern-based to take on the crucial producing role.

Filming was done at a hotel in Sale, with the cast made up of a mixture of local Mancunian talent and bigger-name actors from slightly further afield.

What did they say about the film being shown again?

Sara, Léonie and Loran are delighted the 37-minute comedy is getting another outing in 2022, especially as it was put back on BBC iPlayer on the most romantic day of the year.

Léonie said: “It’s very cool and lovely because the hotel thinks it’s very romantic. The people of Silky Hotel would consider Valentine’s Day like Christmas. It feels really appropriate.”

Loran added: “It’s made for Valentine’s Day. That’s when it deserves and needs to be on really.”

A showcase of northern humour and creative talent

Loran, who has lived in Manchester for 15 years, said she wanted to work on Silky Hotel because it was a brilliant example of the creativity of the city as a whole and of Sara and Léonie in particular.

She said: “Manchester has a real can-do attitude and its own creative sensibility. It’s full of people who have amazing, original ideas and it’s not afraid to not conform.

“I really loved that about Sara and Léonie’s work, it’s so uniquely them and it was about jumping on for that ride. There’s so much of classic British comedy in there but it’s also uniquely its own thing.”

Loran says she also recognises a distinctively Manchester attitude to creativity, especially compared to London, when Sara says Silky Hotel no longer feels like hers and Léonie’s work but a collaborative effort that belongs to everyone involved.

The city also made its presence felt on set and with some of the northern comedic voices the writers drew inspiration from.

Léonie said: “We found an amazing local team, it felt like a really good Manchester crew. There’s something about the work coming out of Manchester and the north. I’m thinking of particular Manchester sitcoms that have influenced the humour we really like, of people like Victoria Wood.

“It feels very rooted in Manchester, like it’s how people actually are.”

Sara and Léonie both said they drew on how their Mancunian parents talk and remembered how that sensibility tickled the actors who are not from the city during shooting.

Filming, which was pushed back to April 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, also threw up plenty of other memorable moments.

Loran said: “We had to do Covid testing three times a week, everyone had to wear masks and we had all the doors and windows open so it was absolutely freezing. We were eating our meals outside and it snowed at one point, in April.

“We had to shoot a hot tub scene and the sun came out, it was gorgeous. The vibe on set was like the hottest day of summer, everyone was loving it.”

Sara and Léonie also both appeared in the comedy, Sara as the TV producer Coral who is rather scathing about the surroundings she finds herself in and Léonie as the head of housekeeping.

What is next for Sara, Léonie, Loran and Silky Hotel?

With live, in-person culture having been severely restricted due to Covid-19 Sara and Léonie are looking forward to getting back on stage and treading the boards with Eggs Collective once more.

Loran, meanwhile, is preparing for a film which starts shooting in April.

However, the team has been asked if the characters from Silky Hotel will be returning and admit it is an idea that appeals to them and has been given some thought.

One idea involves a potential spin-off featuring the character of Ron, the only guest in the hotel, and his travels, as well as further episodes involving Barbara and Jim.

Léonie said: “People have asked if Silky Hotel has the potential for a series. Who knows whether or not it will happen, but it’s an exciting thought experiment.

“Where it might go next, and where the characters might go, is something we are mulling over.”

Silky Hotel is available to view now on BBC iPlayer until 26 July.