24th May 2021
The 25 Boutique B&B Torquay Devon.
National treasure Joanna Lumley visits a bed and breakfast on the English Riviera in the last episode of her new three-part series “Joanna Lumley’s Home Sweet Home” on ITV this February.
After a lifetime of travels that have taken her across the globe, Joanna Lumley is making her most personal journey yet. Over three episodes, she’ll travel from the Yorkshire Dales to St Michael’s Mount, from the Highlands of Scotland to the cobbles of Coronation Street, retracing old steps, meeting inspiring people, and exploring the wonders of the country she calls home.
Filmed last October, before the latest lockdown, part of her journey took her from south Wales through Devon and on to Cornwall, and she stopped off in Dartmoor to meet a grove of Devon Druids as they performed a pagan ceremony.
As the UK is synonymous for its bed and breakfast accommodation, she decided to showcase this quintessential British tradition by staying in the best the country has to offer, which is based in Torquay.
The 25 Boutique B&B is adults only and located on the English Riviera, where she was lucky enough to experience some beautiful autumnal sunshine during her stay. On check in, Joanna, who famously played “Patsy” in the long running comedy series “Absolutely Fabulous” met another Patsy – the owners’ resident Miniature Schnauzer.
The 25 was named “Best B&B in the World” two years in a row by travel website TripAdvisor in 2019 then again in July last year, based on excellent guest feedback.
After being shown to her sumptuous suite, Joanna enjoyed homemade Viennese whirls. Guests are treated to home baked items in their rooms daily rather than the obligatory packet of biscuits in most corporate style hotels. She is a vegetarian, so the following morning, she started the day with a goats’ cheese and mushroom croissant dish for breakfast aptly named “Absolutely Fabulous Mushrooms”. She then took the opportunity to chat with owners Andy and Julian Banner-Price about their award-winning B&B.
Joanna commented of her visit “That was just fabulous! I loved every bit of your gorgeous B&B, every room, every mouthful, every award…you are literally the best!”.
Andy said afterwards “Following a difficult year, it was lovely to meet Joanna and have her support for small accommodation businesses which are the backbone of UK hospitality. I’ve been a huge fan of Absolutely Fabulous for years and so to meet “Pasty” in real life was a dream come true. We’re pleased to be able to show off the English Riviera, particularly in a year where it looks like foreign holidays are off the cards again, it’s the ideal opportunity to attract new people to Devon. We have so much to offer here.”
His husband Julian added “It was an amazing experience and I hope more people will consider staying in a B&B when planning their next staycation, which are likely to be more popular than ever this year. The traditional seaside bed and breakfast has moved on vastly in the last two decades and now often offers more than hotels can at a fraction of the price, with the sort of personal service you’d get at a five-star hotel.”