The Paradise

Series two, episode eight
The final episode in the second series of BBC1’s department store period-drama neatly ties up all the loose ends, which have been dangling like pesky threads from a lady’s undergarment. Moray looks like he’s coming round to being a modern man by allowing his love interest Denise to have her own career – how can she possibly resist a man that can determine the origin of a dead customer from his tailoring? Clemence returns oozing Parisian mystique, though in reality she’s just a good-time girl with bad debts and a sexy accent, and Katherine’s attempts to salvage her relationship with Tom look hopeless – he’s more interested in blackmailing a potential mistress and playing the dullest game of dice ever broadcast.

While the script often plays on the paradise allusion to the point of absurdity, the acting is fine, the sets finer and the costumes finer still. History buffs will balk at some of the contemporary behaviour, but there’s no denying the sumptuousness of it all – it’s sweet and easy on the eyes and ears.