Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Mr. Selfridge

This summer's binge t.v. recommendation is Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece.  Very similar in form to Downton Abbey, the series follows the life of American retail tycoon Harry Selfridge.  While the man and store are real, I'm not sure how much licence is taken regarding the soap opera story lines of his staff and acquaintances.

I am catching up on past episodes through the wonder that is Netflix and making good progress while hubby is away on business.  There is just enough intrigue between repetitive scenes of scarf arranging, shocked faces of staff upon hearing of Mr. Selfridges' newest advertising idea, and the shot of the clock hands at 8:59 a.m. before the store opens, to keep one engaged and loading up the next episode.

The Oxford Street department store is still open today and is the second largest in the U.K.  I love that it has survived since 1909 and there is the real-life basis to the show.  The series is adapted from the biography Shopping, Seduction, & Mr. Selfridge and I believe, being a lover of non-fiction (and biographies in particular), this might just have to be my vacation read this summer!

Check out Seasons 1 & 2 of Mr. Selfridge if you enjoy period piece drama!

Downton Abbey

 I guess I'm late to the game but am now caught up and thoroughly obsessed with Downton Abbey.  If you have not seen nor heard of this English series about the lives of the Crawley family and their servants in the early 1900s, it has become an award-winning phenomenon both in England and the States.

The series is filiming its 3rd season for broadcast in the U.K. in September, with the American release on PBS set for January 2013.  I watched seasons 1 & 2 on DVD with my daughter and really enjoyed seeing it episode after episode.  It is very addictive and we found ourselves having marathon viewing sessions, eager to see what happens next.  While the story seems to unfold at a snail's pace, even back-to-back on DVD, one has to remember that life moved at a much slower tempo 100 years ago!  It is sometimes painful to witness the romantic pairings unfold at such a slow rate but the show does skip ahead by many months between some episodes.

If you haven't given Downton Abbey a look, I'd definitely consider renting it and joining in the fun.  At the very least you will be a party to the drama that has captured the attention of critics and viewers.  The acting is wonderful, the setting is gorgeous (hmmm, next vacation a field trip to Highclere Castle in Hampshire???), and the soap-opera drama is absorbing!  Watch a few episodes and you may find yourself as I do, insisting on calling your mother "ma-maw" and ringing a bell for tea to be brought to the library....