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The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Billion Dollar Playground review – drop everything! Your hate-watch of the summer is here
Who among us, as the summer months and dreams of sun and cloudless skies begin and the visions of holidays and freedom take on solid form, does not think: where oh where is my hate-watch of the season? Well, fear not, mes chéris – the wait is over! Billion Dollar Playground has arrived and it is a feast for all. Imagine that The White Lotus's characters were real, but worse, and that none of them – increasingly unbelievably – ended up murdered. One reprobate complains that the bath towels in their luxury beachfront rental in Sydney are 'too smooth'. Another derides the chef for putting smoked salmon in her caviar and asks: 'Is that the same truffle as yesterday? Then definitely not.' Mo' canapes, mo' problems. That has got your glands juicing, hasn't it? Feel that vitriol start to pump! Remember what it feels like to be truly alive! And I have barely started. Because, unlike at The White Lotus, below stairs isn't much better. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Alex and Tom are an Australian husband-and-wife team who own Luxico, a company that manages A$1bn-worth (£480m-worth) of wildly opulent properties for wildly rich people who rent them out to other wildly rich people while, presumably, the owners are staying at one of their other wildly opulent properties. We do not warm to Alex and Tom ('Pressure makes diamonds – and rich people love diamonds!' he says of the efforts his minions must make to serve the wealthy guests), but they are not around enough to hate, so save your energy. We have much to be getting on with. The team whose job it is to prepare the house before a group of self-made millionaires arrive for a girls' weekend is headed by the chief concierge, Salvatore. He can spot a misaligned chair or a rucked rug at 50 paces and needs everyone to follow orders – and a minutely detailed timetable – at all times so the endeavour doesn't collapse into a heap of dust and rouse the ire of the vile, whining people ('I thought the beach was private?') they are gathered to serve. Unfortunately, one of his team members is Heaven. She loves to be around money and doesn't see why she should be 'disrespected' by being required to follow instructions. She sets up great events for the guests – such as getting them exclusive access to the amusement park Luna Park, so it can serve as the backdrop to dessert for their first meal – but doesn't follow through on details, such as bringing crockery and cutlery. Everyone else must abandon their jobs to save the guests' night (and Heaven's backside). Of course, she is endlessly grateful for this. Just kidding. She takes responsibility for nothing and is a piece of work. Her life plan seems to involve finding a sugar daddy then 'being able to afford Salvatore' herself. Smashing. Elsie is the housekeeper. She has a robust attitude to the job. When confronted with the problem of four bottles of Dom Pérignon missing from a guest's luggage, she suggests serving whatever the house already holds. 'They won't be able to tell the fucking difference.' We warm to Elsie. Jay is the maintenance man and driver. He is all teeth and abs. He has a second job as a cover model for spicy romance novels. No, really. He enjoys his life. Matt and George are handsome brothers and chefs. They enjoy their lives, too, and are sanguine about being wheeled out to distract guests with their hotness any time disaster looms. Especially Matt. Nicole is a trainee concierge, keen to do well, but, one suspects, on a collision course to either Jay's or Matt's bed – she just has to decide whether she wants a blinding grin or a nice meal afterwards. Jasmine is the new deputy concierge, rapidly promoted to chief when Salvatore – goaded by Heaven's inability to understand that she is not the centre of the universe – leaves abruptly. This makes him almost as bad as Heaven in my book, but no one is listening to me. JB is the butler. He fancied being the chief concierge himself. By the end of the first two episodes, he is showing signs of being a Gallic Machiavelli. He is also the chief cocktail supplier and a backup hottie to the chefs. The guests? I have spent enough time and words on them already. I wish them nothing but repeat truffles, smooth towels, salmony caviar and painful ends. In short, it's a winner. Your new escapist watch is here. Next week, it's tech bros. Enjoy. Billion Dollar Playground airs on BBC three and is available on BBC iPlayer
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Billion Dollar Playground review – drop everything! Your hate-watch of the summer is here
Who among us, as the summer months and dreams of sun and cloudless skies begin and the visions of holidays and freedom take on solid form, does not think: where oh where is my hate-watch of the season? Well, fear not, mes chéris – the wait is over! Billion Dollar Playground has arrived and it is a feast for all. Imagine that The White Lotus's characters were real, but worse, and that none of them – increasingly unbelievably – ended up murdered. One reprobate complains that the bath towels in their luxury beachfront rental in Sydney are 'too smooth'. Another derides the chef for putting smoked salmon in her caviar and asks: 'Is that the same truffle as yesterday? Then definitely not.' Mo' canapes, mo' problems. That has got your glands juicing, hasn't it? Feel that vitriol start to pump! Remember what it feels like to be truly alive! And I have barely started. Because, unlike at The White Lotus, below stairs isn't much better. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Alex and Tom are an Australian husband-and-wife team who own Luxico, a company that manages A$1bn-worth (£480m-worth) of wildly opulent properties for wildly rich people who rent them out to other wildly rich people while, presumably, the owners are staying at one of their other wildly opulent properties. We do not warm to Alex and Tom ('Pressure makes diamonds – and rich people love diamonds!' he says of the efforts his minions must make to serve the wealthy guests), but they are not around enough to hate, so save your energy. We have much to be getting on with. The team whose job it is to prepare the house before a group of self-made millionaires arrive for a girls' weekend is headed by the chief concierge, Salvatore. He can spot a misaligned chair or a rucked rug at 50 paces and needs everyone to follow orders – and a minutely detailed timetable – at all times so the endeavour doesn't collapse into a heap of dust and rouse the ire of the vile, whining people ('I thought the beach was private?') they are gathered to serve. Unfortunately, one of his team members is Heaven. She loves to be around money and doesn't see why she should be 'disrespected' by being required to follow instructions. She sets up great events for the guests – such as getting them exclusive access to the amusement park Luna Park, so it can serve as the backdrop to dessert for their first meal – but doesn't follow through on details, such as bringing crockery and cutlery. Everyone else must abandon their jobs to save the guests' night (and Heaven's backside). Of course, she is endlessly grateful for this. Just kidding. She takes responsibility for nothing and is a piece of work. Her life plan seems to involve finding a sugar daddy then 'being able to afford Salvatore' herself. Smashing. Elsie is the housekeeper. She has a robust attitude to the job. When confronted with the problem of four bottles of Dom Pérignon missing from a guest's luggage, she suggests serving whatever the house already holds. 'They won't be able to tell the fucking difference.' We warm to Elsie. Jay is the maintenance man and driver. He is all teeth and abs. He has a second job as a cover model for spicy romance novels. No, really. He enjoys his life. Matt and George are handsome brothers and chefs. They enjoy their lives, too, and are sanguine about being wheeled out to distract guests with their hotness any time disaster looms. Especially Matt. Nicole is a trainee concierge, keen to do well, but, one suspects, on a collision course to either Jay's or Matt's bed – she just has to decide whether she wants a blinding grin or a nice meal afterwards. Jasmine is the new deputy concierge, rapidly promoted to chief when Salvatore – goaded by Heaven's inability to understand that she is not the centre of the universe – leaves abruptly. This makes him almost as bad as Heaven in my book, but no one is listening to me. JB is the butler. He fancied being the chief concierge himself. By the end of the first two episodes, he is showing signs of being a Gallic Machiavelli. He is also the chief cocktail supplier and a backup hottie to the chefs. The guests? I have spent enough time and words on them already. I wish them nothing but repeat truffles, smooth towels, salmony caviar and painful ends. In short, it's a winner. Your new escapist watch is here. Next week, it's tech bros. Enjoy. Billion Dollar Playground airs on BBC three and is available on BBC iPlayer
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Billion Dollar Playground follows the uber rich on luxury holidays
Whatever the wealthy want, they get... this is the staff code at Luxico, a luxury accommodation business that shows how the other half live... Lobster for breakfast? Private beach? String quartet? Shut down an entire venue? Iron the pillow cases? Whatever the wealthy want on holiday, they get. Jaw-dropping new series, Billion Dollar Playground (Monday 7th July, BBC Three, 9pm) follows the staff at Luxico, Australia 's No.1 luxury accommodation business, who work around the clock to deliver a luxury experience to the super rich - and the super demanding. Lead concierge Salvatore, a professional perfectionist, says: 'Rich people want all kinds of things. If my guests want lobster for breakfast, they get it. They want a Lambhorgini, no problem sir. 'I've had to be a best friend, the servant and a downright slave. You can never tell these people 'no'.' CEO Alex says: 'Our guests are the world 's elite. They're uber wealthy and highly demanding. To make the impossible possible, our team are available 24/7.' There's a 'Selling Sunset' vibe to this show as we also follow the tensions and rivalries between the staff members - all of whom are beautiful. Concierge Heaven says: 'I have a super power. The guests love me because I make their dreams come true.' She's not too impressed when a new concierge arrives, Jasmin, who says: 'I'm hungry for this job.' Matt and George know their role. 'We're a couple of good looking brothers who can cook,' says George. There's also JB, the snooty French butler, trainee Nicole, driver Jay and housekeeper Elsie, who loves the job because she's nosy. As everyone flirts, rows and gets tense over a smudge or a crinkle, this is a fascinating peek at homes worth millions and guests who want it all. Billion Dollar Playground is airing on BBC Three tonight at 9pm. There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest.. INSOMNIA, 5, 9pm This began last night with an old lady muttering numbers to herself, before slamming her head into a mirror and knocking herself out. It was a creepy opening to this gripping six-part thriller, adapted from the bestselling novel by Sarah Pinsborough and starring Line of Duty actor Vicky McClure. Vicky plays successful lawyer Emma Averill, who begins to suffer from insomnia as her 40th birthday approaches, just as her mother Patricia had done before suffering a psychotic break. The old lady turned out to be Patricia, and Emma's sister Phoebe (Leanne Best) was trying to get the mother and daughter to mend bridges at hospital. In tonight's episode, Emma's irritation at Phoebe's presence gives way to shock when she learns that their mother is dead. Distracted, Emma accidentally hits a cyclist, care worker Caroline. That night, Emma's disturbing nighttime activity escalates when she wakes up calf-deep in the pond. Is she going mad like her mother? Either way, she's definitely not sleeping and life is unravelling… This Australian rural noir drama, set in the heart of the outback, follows journalist Martin Scarsden as he tries to get to the bottom of a murder in his hometown. Martin (Luke Arnold) had been looking forward to a peaceful holiday with his partner Mandy (Bella Heathcote), but on the way he got a strange call from his childhood friend Jasper. When he arrived, Jasper was dead - and Mandy was holding the weapon. Mandy has now been arrested and is in a police cell as she is presented with the knife that killed Jasper. A witness claims they saw her throw it in the river the previous night - it was an anonymous tip off. 'So Mandy murdered Jasper, hid the knife, then what three days later just tossed it in a river? Have you intereviewed anyone else?' shouts Martin. The only thing Martin can do is continue to hunt for the real killer. Meanwhile, a vigil for Jasper is organised at Hummingbird retreat. Concludes tomorrow night. 24 HOURS IN POLICE CUSTODY: NIGHTCLUB PREDATOR, CHANNEL 4, 8pm This is the conclusion of a two-part special, following the chilling case of serial sexual predator Craig France. France, 33, targeted young women at nightclubs and plied them with alcohol before taking them to his property where he had set up hidden cameras. Cameras follow as officers from Cambridgeshire Police Rape Investigation team wait for the CPS to approve charges for rape and voyeurism. But they are only just beginning to understand the darkest depths of France's criminality. Digital investigators are horrified to discover that hidden within his devices are not only videos of the two known victims, but hundreds of other explicit videos of young women in vulnerable states, seemingly captured without their knowledge. As he applies for bail, the threat of his release from prison intensifies pressure on the team, who have to knock on the doors of the women identified in France's videos, and drop the bombshell that they may be unknowing victims of this dangerous criminal.
News.com.au
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Binge becomes first-ever Aussie streamer to debut full episode of TV series on TikTok
In a bold new move, BINGE is set to become the first ever Australian streamer to debut a full episode of a TV series on TikTok Live. The industry-first initiative will see the Aussie streamer air an episode of its spicy new series Billion Dollar Playground on the social media platform, with Episode 1 streaming on loop for 24 hours on June 18 from 8am. The good news is it will be free for all TikTok users to watch the episode and there is no BINGE subscription required. All you need to do is head to @BINGE on TikTok and tap on the profile picture to watch. 'TikTok sits at the centre of pop culture, and by streaming episode 1 of Billion Dollar Playground directly on the platform, we're meeting viewers where they are, in the formats they love,' Annabelle Greene, BINGE Marketing Director, said in a statement. 'We're proud to work with TikTok to unlock new ways for audiences to discover our content.' Stream Billion Dollar Playground now on BINGE, available on Hubbl. Billion Dollar Playground is currently streaming on BINGE and offers a look inside real-life luxury holiday rental company Luxico and its staff of elite service experts consisting of concierges, chefs, butlers and housekeepers. The professional staff are dedicated to fulfilling every wish of their ultra-rich clients' vacations at a premium Luxico property all while trying to put on a united front for the guests, despite the drama brewing behind the scenes. But it hasn't been smooth sailing since cameras started rolling, with fallouts and walkouts among the drama captured. 'Everything you see is genuine. The dramas, the laughs, the long hours and hard work - it's all real,' housekeeper Elsie, who has worked in the hospitality industry for 13 years, tells 'It really gives you a true insight into what working in this industry and this level is like.' 'It's realness, every emotion, every conversation, every connection really did take place. And we actually worked our arse off.' And for those tuning into Episode 1 on the TikTok Livestream are in for some drama between Lead concierge Salvatore and his second in charge Heaven. '[They are] both big personalities that just didn't work well under pressure together,' Elsie says. 'Heaven could have done with holding her tongue just a little. After all he is the big boss.' While Elsie says she could've kept here cool better on camera by not swearing and shedding tears, concierge Grace – who has worked globally for the uber-wealthy – has no issues with the cameras or demanding guests. 'When you've worked for the world's elite, pressure becomes your baseline. I genuinely thrive in chaos – the tougher it gets, the more the guests want, the more I come alive,' she tells 'And once I started seeing the camera crew as just another set of guests to look after? Game on.' 'It's more than champagne and caviar – though there's plenty of that too,' adds of the series. 'You'll get a real look at what it takes to pull off seamless luxury, the pressure behind the polish, and the big personalities (and egos!) that make it all tick. And I'm not just talking about the guests…' Grace joined mid-season after getting a mayday call to help the staff – and while most were welcoming of her arrival, butler JB was not. 'Let's just say JB and I didn't exactly exchange friendship bracelets. And that's OK - this isn't summer camp,' she says. 'I'm here to elevate the guest experience, not make besties on short-term contracts.' 'I know I can be a bit of a wildcard – I'm vocal, direct, and I move fast. But just because I'm short and sweet doesn't mean I don't bring the thunder when it's time to deliver.' So what can she share with us about her past and vast experiences and challenges with her guests? 'Let's just say… NDA life is real, darling. If I told you, I'd probably get sued,' she says. 'But I will say… if it's legal, I'll always find a way to make it happen.' Grace may be bound to an NDA, but Elsie is happy to spill on what she's experienced in her career so far. 'Once someone asked me to put their shoes on for them (they were healthy and fully able to do it themselves) and another time I had to give very expensive caviar to dogs as a treat,' she shares. 'I always just try my best that's all you can really do!' Billion Dollar Playground is available to stream now on BINGE with new episodes dropping weekly and is also available on Foxtel.
Time Out
12-06-2025
- Time Out
These are the five most popular super-luxe holiday homes anyone can rent in NSW
Luxury travellers, this one's for you. NSW is home to some incredible high-end hotels and next-level glamping sites. But for a group getaway, nothing quite beats booking out a big house and making it your own. We spoke with the team at Luxico – Australia's largest curated collection of luxury villas and estates – to find the five most popular luxury stays in the state. Wagstaffe Tropics, Wagstaffe Set on a lush waterfront property with uninterrupted views out to Brisbane Water, Wagstaffe Tropics is a beautiful, light-flooded waterfront home complete with heated pool, multiple entertaining decks and a private jetty onto the water with kayaks and paddleboards for guests to use on a whim. The best news? It's under two hours' drive from Sydney. This one sleeps ten guests across five bedrooms. The Surrey Luxe, Sydney This sophisticated urban sanctuary is right in the heart of Surry Hills – the go-to luxe home for an inner city staycation. The architecturally striking home features expansive living spaces including a designer kitchen, an open-plan living space and a media room. There's also a plunge pool and a magical rooftop terrace with sweeping views across the city – and plenty of the city's best restaurants are within walking distance. Luana Estates, Byron Bay This private resort-style estate in the heart of Byron Bay is a dream coastal getaway – home to tropical gardens, a tennis court, a yoga pavilion, a lagoon-style pool and spaces for both big, communal dinners and for curling up on your own with a book and a chai from one of Byron's best cafés (most of which are an easy walk away). This one sleeps 14 guests across seven bedrooms, so fire up the group chat. Mana Beach House, Byron Bay Also based in the luxury coastal mecca that is Byron Bay, Mana Beach House offers the ultimate indulgence – a beautiful world-class beach on your doorstep. The lush tropical gardens are home to a heated pool, in case the ocean feels too far away. This one sleeps 12 guests across six beautiful, light-flooded bedrooms. Sweven Estate, Cattai This 141-acre estate on the banks of the Hawkesbury River is home to an award-winning architecturally-designed main house as well as guest pavilions, sleeping a total of 12 guests across six gorgeous bedrooms. It's also home to an infinity pool, a library, a games room and expansive gardens that spill down to the river, where you'll find a private jetty jetting out into the water. . And these are our favourite hotels in Sydney. On a budget? .
