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Netflix‘s Black Doves became an immediate global sensation when it hit the streaming platform with a bang last week and has since not moved from number one on the top 10 list.
The eight-part series, boasting an all-star cast led by Keira Knightley, Sarah Lancashire and Ben Whishaw, has already received rave reviews and scored a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes just one day after is release.
The highly-anticipated new festive thriller follows Keira’s character Helen Webb, who is a secret agent passing on the secrets of her politician husband (Andrew Buchan).
But when her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, Helen sets about trying to uncover who has killed him – and takes her dramatic search takes her all the way across London.
From the Southbank to Crystal Palace, the nail-biting series was filmed almost entirely on location in the English capital, with one of it’s prominent locations being the luxurious Royal Lancaster London – where I was lucky enough to spend the night last week.
Boasting 20 storeys and an unbelieveable view of London’s skyline, the five-star establishment proved a fitting location for one of the biggest spy dramas of the year.
Netflix ‘s Black Doves became an immediate global sensation when it hit the streaming platform with a bang last week and has since not moved from number one on the top 10 list
One of it’s prominent locations was the luxurious Royal Lancaster London
Episode one of the Netflix series saw Ben’s character Sam, who is a deadly assassin, get dropped off outside of the hotel, before meeting Sarah’s character Reed, the boss of the Black Doves spy agency, in his room.
Without giving away any spoilers, the characters have a pretty tense conversation while overlooking Hyde Park from the huge wraparound window.
Sam then makes his way down to the Park Lounge bar, where he enjoys a glass of champagne, meets someone who catches his eye, and takes him up to his room for the first raunchy scene of the series.
During my stay, I was informed that it was actually the Royal Suite that the scenes were filmed in – an £1,900 per night elegant and spacious Suite on the eighteenth floor that contrasts elegant dark wood with rich velvets and large windows.
And because every detail had to be perfect, when the huge filming crew descended onto the hotel, it took a lot of takes and around 10 people to review and approve the footage for each scene.
The suite, which was handpicked by producers, is described as ‘the pinnacle of luxury’ with an aim of ‘making guests feel like Royalty’.
Elsewhere in the hotel, the Nine Kings suite was used as the filming location for the scene that takes place at a 2014 conference.
Helen’s MP husband Wallace, played by Andrew Buchan, gives a speech in the large events space, which is one of fifteen that were available for crews to use.
It’s easy to see why Netflix chose Royal Lancaster London as one of their locations for the thrilling flick – as one of the top five star hotels in the city, it perfectly encapsulates the location, which is so important to the feel of the series.
The eight-part series, boasting an all-star cast led by Keira Knightley , Sarah Lancashire and Ben Whishaw , has already received rave reviews
Episode one of the Netflix series saw Ben’s character Sam, who is a deadly assassin, get dropped off outside of the hotel
During my stay, I was informed that it was actually the Royal Suite that the scenes were filmed in – an £1,900 per night elegant and spacious Suite on the eighteenth floor
I was lucky enough to spend a night at the hotel last week
Ben’s character Sam meets Sarah’s character Reed, the boss of the Black Doves spy agency, in his room
After bingeing Black Doves from the moment it was released, I was excited to see the locations in real life and throw myself into the world of a boujee British spy
Without giving away any spoilers, the characters have a pretty tense conversation while overlooking Hyde Park from the huge wraparound window
The suite, which was handpicked by producers, is described as ‘the pinnacle of luxury’ with an aim of ‘making guests feel like Royalty’
It’s easy to see why Netflix chose Royal Lancaster London as one of their locations for the thrilling flick (Royal Suite pictured)
In order to achieve the unqiue London atmosphere, Black Doves was shot throughout a whopping 85 different locations over 93 days – with Royal Lancaster London being one of the first named on screen.
After bingeing Black Doves from the moment it was released, I was excited to see the locations in real life and throw myself into the world of a boujee British spy.
Upon entrance to the grand lobby, I was immediately met with an array of festive displays, including a giant Santa slay that guests can climb into for photos.
A selection of humungous Christmas trees were also dotted around the building, which was bustling with guests for the holidays.
After a swift check in, I made my way to my room, which was the Park Deluxe Suite, located on the twelfth floor with prices beginning from £900 per night.
Similar to the suite the show filmed in, the incredible room boasted views that showed the city in a whole new light.
I spent the first few moments transfixed on the many huge windows and the amazing view of sprawling Hyde Park and Winter Wonderland, which is located there as always for the festive season.
The view is almost an entire 180 degrees of the iconic skyline and you can see a different part of London based on which room you’re in.
After a swift check in, I made my way to my room, which was the Park Deluxe Suite, located on the twelfth floor with prices beginning from £900 per night
Similar to the suite the show filmed in, the incredible room boasted views that showed the city in a whole new light
The view is almost an entire 180 degrees of the iconic skyline and you can see a different part of London based on which room you’re in
Whether it’s admiring the Italian Gardens and the Serpentine from the bathtub or glancing over at the London Eye and the Shard skyscraper from your bed, you won’t run out of details to spot
The bathroom featured a stunning sunken bathrub, a waterfall shower, two sinks and illuminated mirrors, and every product you could possibly need
The bedroom was home to a huge king sized bed
Scenes for the show were also filmed in the Royal Suite’s impressive bedroom
Sam then makes his way down to the Park Lounge bar, where he enjoys a glass of champagne
He meets someone who catches his eye, and takes him up to his room for the first raunchy scene of the series
After bingeing Black Doves from the moment it was released, I was excited to see the locations in real life and throw myself into the world of a boujee British spy (Park Lounge pictured)
The venue also had to be transformed into a festive wonderland and lined with Christmas a whopping 11 months early as the show was filmed in January
As one of the top five star hotels in the city, it perfectly encapsulates the location, which is so important to the feel of the series
Whether it’s admiring the Italian Gardens and the Serpentine from the bathtub or glancing over at the London Eye and the Shard skyscraper from your bed, you won’t run out of details to spot.
The spacious suite was made up of a stunning living room area featuring velvet blue sofas, a desk space, and a dining area, which all can be seen in the show.
And the bathroom featured a stunning sunken bathrub, a waterfall shower, two sinks and illuminated mirrors, and every product you could possibly need.
Personal touches like my name on the two (very huge) TV screens as a welcome and a bottle of prosecco and treats upon arrival added to the opulence of the stay.
The view only got better in the morning as I got to watch the sunrise over London from every angle before heading downstairs for a delicious buffet breakfast.
The staff at Royal Lancaster are happy to help with everything they possibly can to make the experience memorable – and they were also on hand to help during the filming of Black Doves.
In the series, real-life conceirge Sebastian got a short feature as he welcomed Ben Whishaw’s character to the hotel.
And some employees even got to meet Keira Knightley herself as she filmed her return to the TV world – and gushed that she was ‘lovely’
I was given a quick tour of the filming locations that were used, including random corridoors and corners of the venue that came in handy, for example, Keira running from one room to another.
The venue also had to be transformed into a festive wonderland and lined with Christmas a whopping 11 months early as the show was filmed in January.
Staff explained to me that Royal Lancaster loved the experience of having the show filmed there and would definitely be open to more.
The venue, which is also a conference and banqueting specialist, had an £80million refit in 2017 that got it looking as glamorous as it does today.
Before it underwent the renovations, fans may also recognise the hotel from The Italian Job, the famous 1969 film starring Sir Michael Caine.
Key scenes for this movie were filmed in summer 1968 at the Royal Lancaster when it was then just a year old.
Caine’s character — Charlie Croker — drove an Aston Martin DB4 convertible down the hotel’s concrete parking ramp and up to the hotel’s front doors.
And it looks like Black Doves could already be headed for a similar level of success.
Elsewhere in the hotel, the Nine Kings suite was used as the filming location for the scene that takes place at a 2014 conference
Helen’s MP husband Wallace, played by Andrew Buchan, gives a speech in the large events space, which is one of fifteen that were available for crews to use
Staff explained to me that Royal Lancaster loved the experience of having the show filmed there and would definitely be open to more
I was given a quick tour of the filming locations that were used, including random corridoors and corners of the venue that came in handy, for example, Keira Knightley running from one room to another
The venue, which is also a conference and banqueting specialist, had an £80million refit in 2017 that got it looking as glamorous as it does today
Key scenes for The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine, were also filmed at the Royal Lancaster in the summer of 1968
And it looks like Black Doves could already be headed for a similar level of success.
Viewers took to social media to rave about the show after it dropped, with one writing: ‘Binged #BlackDovesin 24 hours. Brilliant!’
There are hundreds of other posts praising the series and the cast for their performance.
‘Last night I binge watched the new British Netflix spy thriller Black Doves and wow, what a series. Kiera Knightley and Ben Wishaw both should get some sort of acting awards for it. Mind blowing and brilliant. Gobsmacked.’
‘Am I already on ep 4 of #BlackDoves? Yes I am, thank you very much. #glued.’
‘I was going to watch one episode of Black Doves and now I’ve watched them all. Absolute excellence from Joey Barton and everyone involved in the show. More please Netflix!’
‘Black Doves is a really good spy show. I just had to binge it. Keira Knightley is everything in this role, she’s fantastic! I want many more Helen Webb adventures.’
Black Doves is available to stream on Netflix and you can find out more about Royal Lancaster London on the hotel’s website