Mr Selfridge

When I first read about the show I was skeptical, but I found I fell in love with it from first view. The way the story is distributed among multiple characters is definitely something you don't see every day, or at least not with the quality that "Mr Selfridge" has. I'm reminded how relationships run on the fast track, how they lack foundation and are never really secure, how decisions are made on a whim, when you're overwhelmed or when you feel you need more from life that you're currently getting. The fact that everyone is susceptible to passion and making mistakes is at the core of all human beings and the cast of the show portray it beautifully through a much needed emotional acting that most shows fail to provide. The splendor of the fashion world and the eagerness of the workers reveal the inner beauty of times long gone. Mr Selfridge has become one of my favourite period dramas and I have high hopes for its future.

As a Downton Abbey fan, completely out of episodes to watch, I was grateful to have Mr. Selfridge to turn to. With a week of completely free-form time on my hands I wanted the great luxury of spending a decadent number of consecutive hours consuming an entire season of shows in one sitting, night after night. Mr. Selfridge filled the bill beautifully. Oh, it is pretty light and with a few dropped threads, but no matter, I was happy from the opening score. The characters are easy to develop an affection for, especially Mr. Harry Selfridge. Over the course of the three seasons you witness a man rising to the top of his game, operating a large department store in turn of the 20th century London. Typical birth-life-death situations, plus the extraordinary game changer of World War One, unfold in the lives of Harry, his family and selected employees. Throughout it all, important lessons are learned, while the bad actors ultimately get their comeuppance. One unexpected dimension was the historical look at the development of department store marketing. While not presented in- depth, there was sufficient homage paid to innovations risked by Mr. Selfridge to give a good insight into the evolution of retailing. Window dressers in particular will love the series!

I am loving this series and the details that the production company have put into the costumes and sets are a delight to watch. The hats (referring to some of the previous reviews) are in keeping of the time and reflect, with some humour, some the huge hats women wore at this time. Though I am sure that Mrs Selfridge would have had more hats as she was very wealthy would be nice to see her wearing a few more designs (hint hint ). The cast is very well put together a nice mix of interesting characters, reminds me of the original series of Upstairs Downstairs showing both the upper class and working class characters. I hope they continue to explore all of these characters as well Mr Selfridge.

Some people have made mention to the lack of locations used in the series so far, myself I actually like the fact that it's not filmed in hundreds of locations. With good story and characters I don't need to be shown lots of location filming to grab my interest. Though it would be quite nice to see some more of the homes of the workers. As much as I am enjoying this series as pure entertainment I am actually finding it historically interesting to see the beginnings of the modern department store that we know today. Having worked in department store myself I found all those little details such as the introduction of the perfume counter at the front of the store very interesting from a geeky historian point of view lol. Over all a Lovely series to watch on a Sunday night, I hope there will be a 2nd series, nice to see ITV doing more period dramas.

I admit that I'm surprised and puzzled by the number of negative reviews of Mr. Selfridge on this site. I'm actually wondering if I'm watching a completely different show from the one many reviewers describe! Beginning with the dazzling opening credits and stylish musical score, this show is an absolute joy every week. I fail to understand how anyone can possibly be unimpressed by the gorgeous period costumes and sets and the fine, subtle performances of most of the cast. If there's a weakness to be found, it's with Jeremy Piven's acting, though I admit that even he's starting to grow on me as his character begins to acquire a little more dimension. But there's so much else that's wonderful about this series, including engaging story lines, that Piven can almost be overlooked. Overall, it's a light, frothy confection that charms and delights in an easy way that few shows ever manage. But I suppose charm is out of fashion. And please, let's stop comparing it to Downton Abbey, which it's not even attempting to replicate, and judge it on its own merits, which are considerable.

Once this show got the done-to-death-unnecessary-sex-scene box checked it became original and compelling.