Mr Selfridge BLEW ME AWAY - Mr Selfridge premiered on UK television ITV1 Sunday 6th February 2013 at 9pm. In what had been billed a an excellent TV drama it lived up to that expectation.
Before I get into my thoughts on the show lets get some background down.
Harry Gordon Selfridge was born in 1858 in Ripon, USA, and in 1879 joined Field, Leiter and Company, where he worked for the famous Chicago retailer. He worked his way up through the firm swiftly with a style and panache that was to become his hook.
- Harry Gordon Selfridge
He fell in love and married into the well known Buckingham family, and amassed the fortune with which he built his baby, Selfridges.
Mr Selfridge's was a trend setter in every sense much like all great entrepreneurs of their time. He was driven to make shopping a fun instead of the dull chore that other prestigious London stores adopted. "Stuffy old windbags" as one customer eloquently put it.
He put merchandise on display so customers could examine it which was unheard in London. He then put the highly profitable perfume counter on the ground floor as a centre piece to encourage more sales. And it worked!
What had been a stayed and boring old fashioned shopping experience was turned into fun, adventure, pazaaz with personality. Everything that Harry Selfridge was.
Either Selfridge or Marshal Field is credited with coining the phrase "the customer is always right", and Selfridge used it regularly in his innovative advertising.
So lets move to the TV show and my thoughts on this 1st episode. BRILLIANT! As an entrepreneur myself I really felt the emotions Mr Selfridge went through to turn his dream into a reality. All of the doubts and fears were evident even though he always showed supreme confidence to the outside world.
Harry Selfridge was brilliantly played by actor Jeremy Piven.
- Jeremy Piven Played Harry Selfridge
As with every entrepreneur striving for more from life, Mr Selfridge had to endure more than most. Clearly the bigger the dream the bigger the struggle. And boy did he have struggles!
From the word go he was beset with problems. Building had not even started and his investor pulled out. Undeterred because if his strength of vision he continued on against all the odds and found another investor.
Everyone laughed because it was the wrong end of Oxford Street but Selfridge replied
with his usual style and confidence,
"1 year from today it will be the best end of Oxford street where everyone will come to shop and have fun".
- Oxford Street 1900's - Selfridges was on the right
He worked through funding issues, fire safety, laws, the establishment and his own mini demons to finally open Selfridges on 15th March 1909 to a fanfare and rave reviews.
Selfridges opening day was almost blighted by the never seen before fire safety sprinklers accidentally going off and drenching the shop and the show stopping window displays. But still he and the staff worked through the night to make opening day the success it was.
Selfridge, the UK ITV1 permier gets a thumbs up from me and I cannot wait for next weeks saga.
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