Welcome to Paradise
Forbidden love, writhing ambition, fierce rivalry… all set against the backdrop of a luxury department store. This is the captivating concept of The Paradise, the big-budget BBC adaptation of Émile Zola’s novel, which returns for a second series this autumn.
The last series saw charismatic store owner John Moray abandon his fiancée, the wealthy but malicious Katherine Glendenning, for virtuous shop girl Denise. The new series opens a year on from where the last left off: Katherine is married to another man but still seething about being jilted, while Moray and Denise have been separated and, excepting the odd letter, have barely spoken. Meanwhile the glittering Paradise department store is under threat of closure.
With Mr Selfridge, Downton Abbey, even Channel 4’s new The Masters Of Sex dominating the primetime schedule, there is no doubt that period dramas are having a moment. What is interesting about The Paradise is that as well as providing a good dose of escapism, it also shines a light on the similarities between Victorian society and our own.
Ben Daniels, who players Katherine’s husband Tom, explains: ‘What is fascinating about [Zola’s] novel, as well as the series, is there are themes that are way ahead of their time. The seduction of people with material goods and the taking over of an area and little shops closing as a result is reflective of what’s going on today.’
But the parallels are not just economic. The series plays on the social sensibilities that have shaped society and raises issues of power and gender. Set in 1875, it was an industrial period that saw the emergence of a middle class and Denise, played by the ethereally pretty Joanna Vanderham, exemplifies this. ‘Denise grabs life with both hands,’ says Joanna. ‘She’s a very modern woman… She’s worked hard to make this life for herself. She’s had bed and board and a good job as a shop girl. Her life could have been a lot worse in that era.’
In fact, it is Denise’s desire to achieve some sort of autonomy that threatens her personal life. ‘It’s tearing her in two, her love for Moray and her ambition,’ reveals Joanna.
Emun Elliott plays the handsome Moray, who in the last series became an emblem of progress and change. ‘This is a young man in 1875 running a beautiful shop. In that sense alone he is a modern man,’ says Emun.
And yet while the will-they-won’tthey scenario kept audiences guessing until the very end of the first series, it now remains to be seen whether Moray – modern or otherwise – can accept a more independent Denise.
Elaine Cassidy resumes the role of Katherine Glendenning, and tussled with a gender constraint of a different kind. ‘The clothes were so restrictive,’ she exclaims. ‘I’m a lot more confident wearing them now, but the first time I did a period drama I was shocked. It wasn’t so much the corset but the weight and feel of the petticoats.’
Elaine has relished reprising the role of Katherine. ‘Denise is the protagonist, and Katherine is more the villain of the piece, but I certainly didn’t want her to be the pantomime villain. To me she’s a real person who has many different sides.
‘It took me a few days to fully get back into her skin because she’s so different to me,’ Elaine admits. ‘She embarrasses me sometimes because she’s so brazen.’
While Denise exhibits a strong work ethic, Katherine uses her femininity to accrue control. ‘She’s been used to her daddy sorting everything out. Katherine is very strong-willed and shrewd and does everything in her power to get what she wants.’
Now that she is married, however, Katherine has relinquished some control – a fact that influenced Elaine in her portrayal. ‘Tom is quick to let her know that he is the husband and he has inherited everything. If, for example, he said she was mad she’d be in the madhouse at the blink of an eye. Women really did have the raw deal.’
If The Paradise alludes to the likenesses of Victorian and modern society, what does that mean for women today? ‘People moan about how women’s roles have become more complicated, and I do think that’s true,’ Elaine muses. ‘We’re expected to do more – the house has to look presentable, the kids need to be raised, careers need to be maintained – but we are multitaskers. Nobody said life was easy but it’s certainly enjoyable. In Victorian times it was frightening for women, they had to toe the line.’
The Paradise demonstrates everything a period drama should be: sumptuously costumed, beautifully shot, and seamlessly written. And with social politics set against a backdrop of shopping, it seems the world hasn’t changed much at all.
The Paradise returns to BBC One on Sunday 20 October at 8pm.
The last series saw charismatic store owner John Moray abandon his fiancée, the wealthy but malicious Katherine Glendenning, for virtuous shop girl Denise. The new series opens a year on from where the last left off: Katherine is married to another man but still seething about being jilted, while Moray and Denise have been separated and, excepting the odd letter, have barely spoken. Meanwhile the glittering Paradise department store is under threat of closure.
With Mr Selfridge, Downton Abbey, even Channel 4’s new The Masters Of Sex dominating the primetime schedule, there is no doubt that period dramas are having a moment. What is interesting about The Paradise is that as well as providing a good dose of escapism, it also shines a light on the similarities between Victorian society and our own.
Ben Daniels, who players Katherine’s husband Tom, explains: ‘What is fascinating about [Zola’s] novel, as well as the series, is there are themes that are way ahead of their time. The seduction of people with material goods and the taking over of an area and little shops closing as a result is reflective of what’s going on today.’
But the parallels are not just economic. The series plays on the social sensibilities that have shaped society and raises issues of power and gender. Set in 1875, it was an industrial period that saw the emergence of a middle class and Denise, played by the ethereally pretty Joanna Vanderham, exemplifies this. ‘Denise grabs life with both hands,’ says Joanna. ‘She’s a very modern woman… She’s worked hard to make this life for herself. She’s had bed and board and a good job as a shop girl. Her life could have been a lot worse in that era.’
In fact, it is Denise’s desire to achieve some sort of autonomy that threatens her personal life. ‘It’s tearing her in two, her love for Moray and her ambition,’ reveals Joanna.
Emun Elliott plays the handsome Moray, who in the last series became an emblem of progress and change. ‘This is a young man in 1875 running a beautiful shop. In that sense alone he is a modern man,’ says Emun.
And yet while the will-they-won’tthey scenario kept audiences guessing until the very end of the first series, it now remains to be seen whether Moray – modern or otherwise – can accept a more independent Denise.
Elaine Cassidy resumes the role of Katherine Glendenning, and tussled with a gender constraint of a different kind. ‘The clothes were so restrictive,’ she exclaims. ‘I’m a lot more confident wearing them now, but the first time I did a period drama I was shocked. It wasn’t so much the corset but the weight and feel of the petticoats.’
Elaine has relished reprising the role of Katherine. ‘Denise is the protagonist, and Katherine is more the villain of the piece, but I certainly didn’t want her to be the pantomime villain. To me she’s a real person who has many different sides.
‘It took me a few days to fully get back into her skin because she’s so different to me,’ Elaine admits. ‘She embarrasses me sometimes because she’s so brazen.’
While Denise exhibits a strong work ethic, Katherine uses her femininity to accrue control. ‘She’s been used to her daddy sorting everything out. Katherine is very strong-willed and shrewd and does everything in her power to get what she wants.’
Now that she is married, however, Katherine has relinquished some control – a fact that influenced Elaine in her portrayal. ‘Tom is quick to let her know that he is the husband and he has inherited everything. If, for example, he said she was mad she’d be in the madhouse at the blink of an eye. Women really did have the raw deal.’
If The Paradise alludes to the likenesses of Victorian and modern society, what does that mean for women today? ‘People moan about how women’s roles have become more complicated, and I do think that’s true,’ Elaine muses. ‘We’re expected to do more – the house has to look presentable, the kids need to be raised, careers need to be maintained – but we are multitaskers. Nobody said life was easy but it’s certainly enjoyable. In Victorian times it was frightening for women, they had to toe the line.’
The Paradise demonstrates everything a period drama should be: sumptuously costumed, beautifully shot, and seamlessly written. And with social politics set against a backdrop of shopping, it seems the world hasn’t changed much at all.
The Paradise returns to BBC One on Sunday 20 October at 8pm.