Originally broadcast on the BBC in the 9pm Tuesday slot, the second season has aired at 8pm on a Sunday, opposite ITV’s The X Factor. The second season is attracting over 5 million viewers per episode.
Set in the 1870’s, The Paradise centres around the life of a young girl working within England’s first department store. Relocated from its original literary setting in Paris, the action takes place in a large northern city and is one of an increasing number of BBC productions to be filmed in the north of England. The series is adapted from Emile Zola’s novel ‘Au Bonheur des Dames’ by Bill Gallagher, who also created the previous BBC hit costume drama ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’.
The bentwood chairs replicated for The Paradise were originally designed by German furniture designer Michael Thonet in 1859, and were seen as a distinct departure from the traditional solid style at the time, formed from curved wood moulded into shapes by hot steam. The chairs, known as the 14, or the bistro chair, became popular during the Victorian era, with over 50 million chairs produced between 1859 and 1930. In staying faithful to the original style of the chair, Trent Furniture displayed the authenticity that the show’s producers were searching for. The company’s Managing Director, Rob Price, comments that “The researchers and producers were eager for the sets to be as authentic as possible. The loopback chairs that we supplied would have been in many homes and commercial buildings during the 1870s when the series is set. One of the most popular chairs of its time, the loopback is still one of our perennial best sellers today.”
In discussing the show using the company’s chairs for a second time, Rob states that “We were delighted to be asked to supply chairs for such a high quality drama programme”. Ironically, the company’s furniture has also appeared on The Paradise’s ratings rival, The X Factor, as well as in popular shows such as Eastenders and This Morning. “As suppliers to the hospitality industry, it’s always exciting for our products to be featured on the screen where they will potentially be seen by millions,” comments Rob. “The diverse range of programmes that we supply illustrates the wide variety of styles that we stock, from classic through to modern and contemporary.”
Created in Leicester in 1960, Trent Furniture supplies furniture to the catering and hospitality industries, alongside creating furniture for university bars and communal areas. The company takes an ethical approach to production, using wood from sustainable sources where possible and donating furniture to local charities.
To see which chairs were supplied to the 'The Paradise' click here.