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The beauty of the BBC’s Lark Rise to Candleford was so unique that
the creators must have faced quite a challenge in deciding on a new project,
knowing there was so much to live up to.
At first it seemed impossible that anything could equal Lark Rise
but, three episodes into the brilliant Bill Gallagher’s new series The
Paradise, it’s clear that the writer is using the same successful formula
in creating something very beautiful!
Loosely based on a novel by Zola, The Paradise is set in a
department store in the north of England in the late 19th century. As with
Lark Rise, the producers’ attention to detail in the settings and
costumes is superb, and while Lark Rise was an absolute delight for the
wonderful pastoral and village scenes, The Paradise is exquisite
for its portrayal of the luxury of beautiful gowns and other items on sale in
the extravagantly grand setting of the cathedral-like shop. The acting is
convincing and the characters so well-cast, and I am now convinced that the
excellent Sarah Lancashire is the new Maggie Smith (though considerably
younger!)!
The real charm of both series, however, lies in the beauty of the
characters and Bill Gallagher’s wonderful story-telling. When so much air time
is taken up with dark and depressing crime and forensic programmes, it is beyond
lovely to find a series in which there are genuine people with real-life
problems but, without being twee, no one is truly evil and the viewer knows that
nothing really nasty or degrading is about to happen. There are, of course,
difficulties and misunderstandings in relationships as well as financial
problems and other challenges that people meet every day, but – as happened in
Lark Rise – each week’s story ends in kindness and the triumph of good. It
is so refreshing and I am sure it is ‘good for the soul’ to find a series that
is beautiful on every level – one that is both delightful to the senses and
truly uplifting!
Thank you Mr Gallagher and thank you BBC for such beauty!
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