Excellent RECEPTION!

ALEX JONES on a special hotel opening its doors to help people reconnect with their past

- HANNAH DAVIES

REUNION HOTEL
THURSDAY, 8PM (WALES,BBC1), BBC2 REALITY

As host of BBC1’s popular weekday magazine programme The One Show, Alex Jones is used to interviewing some of the world’s biggest stars.

But now she’s swapping the green sofa for a beautiful hotel in her homeland of Wales to present a heart-warming new reunion series for BBC2 that sees ordinary folk given the chance to get back in touch with someone special they’ve lost contact with.

‘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, 46, as she joins TV Times for an exclusive chat about six-parter Reunion Hotel.

‘With each episode, there’s a real roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes you’re shocked by what happens, sometimes you’re crying, and sometimes the reunion is completely joyous and happy!’

Here, mum-of-three Alex tells us more…

The premise of this show sounds delightful – how would you sum it up?

Well, it’s a bit like a warm hug! The show is set in a lovely hotel in Wales, where we give people a chance to be reunited with someone from their past. But, while obviously it’s a TV 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; it’s probably one of my favourite shows I’ve ever made!

What type of stories are featured?