Emun Elliot as John Moray
US costume drama fans will finally have the chance to make their acquaintance with the charming protagonists of BBC series The Paradise tonight, October 6, thanks to PBS Masterpiece. Episode 1 will introduce them into the world of Mr Moray, the alluring department store he manages in Durham, a town in the North of England, where strong-willed and ambitious Denise Lovett starts working as a shop girl. The story is loosely based on Emile Zola's Au Bonheur des Dames.BBC 1 viewers, instead, were left at the end of series 1 in November 2012 with a romantic cliffhanger and are eagerly waiting for season 2, which is announced as ..."coming very soon"! (watch trailer) . And they wonder: What's in store for Denise and Moray in the new episodes? What about the Glendennings, Katherine and her father? I've tried to guess what series 2 could be like in one of my posts about this series but, apparently, I was wrong ... well, not completely though. Now I must warn you: don't read on , if you mind spoilers!
From articles and interviews with the cast this is what we can expect ...
Sarah Lancashire as Miss Audrey
- Miss Audrey will not appear in all the episodes and probably will have to quit the store for some reason since actress Sarah Lancashire playing the role had to leave the set of the second series due to a filming clash with another BBC series she is involved in, Last Tango in Halifax. However, we aren't said if she is leaving for good in this article .- Katherine Glendenning (Elaine Cassidy) founds herself a rich and handsome husband, Tom Weston (Ben Daniels) and their menage will be an exciting addition to the plot. Elaine Cassidy herself said that in a recent interview and added: "Tom Weston is a former soldier and he fits the bill to be eligible to marry Katherine. He was of the right social standing with achievements in battle. He is widowed, his wife died about 10 years ago. I’m not sure if Katherine has found happiness (would she ever?) but she’s certainly met her match. They have a turbulent, supportive, passionate, dysfunctional relationship. But it seems to work. Two crazy nuts together!!!" - But what about the central love story between Denise and Moray?
Ben Daniels, Elaine Cassidy, Joanna Vanderham and Emun Elliot
Emun Elliot, starring as Mr Moray, anticipated to Vicky Power at The Express online (HERE) that, when the second series starts, the plot has moved on 12 months. Moray has been traveling the world for a year:“He’s been in Paris and Morocco accumulating exotic products and he hasn’t been allowed back to the city because Katherine’s father governs this part of the world. He’s longing for Denise, and , eventually, he’s sent a letter in Paris which invites him to come back to The Paradise to rescue things, because there’s been a bit of a slump.”
Elaine Cassidy as Katherine Glendenning
Hence, Katherine sets aside her pride and invites Moray back to stop The Paradise from going under. And, moreover, Moray and Denise have no rush to marry once he is back, as Joanna Vanderham declares: “These characters put their ambition in front of their union, which is really fun to play.” In the same interview she confesses that she doesn’t want the lovers to end up together too soon: "If that happened, the story would be over". I don't know you but I'm looking forward to series two of The Paradise and I hope they give us a precise date to add to our calendars. "Coming soon" is not enough. Meanwhile, I'm very curious about the reactions of the American viewers after tonight. Happy The Paradise Day to them!