Joanna Vanderham

Following the smart, ambitious and big-hearted Denise Lovett, this series begins a year after the dramatic events that saw Moray declare his love for Denise and lose The Paradise after breaking off his engagement to Katherine Glendenning. The spurned Katherine has since married Tom Weston - a mysterious, brooding ex-military man with a troubled history. Although she seems to be starting her life anew, her passion for Moray threatens to draw her back into a love triangle, competing with Denise.

Set amidst the Victorian splendour of Britain's first department store, The Paradise is a rags-to-riches story of a young girl who falls in love with the intoxicating charms of the modern world. As Denise finds her feet as a lowly shop girl, she must navigate her way through power struggles, intrigues and affairs. When the shop's dashing and reckless owner, John Moray, spots her talents she knows she can use this opportunity to rise to great things.

In the early 1930s London, the black jazz group known as the Louis Lester band is on the rise. managed by the compassionate yet short-tempered Wesley Holt, the band lands a gig at the imperial Hotel, thanks to the cunning journalist Stanley Mitch. They prove to be a hit, and their star begins to rise. Countless aristocrats - including the royal family - ask the band to play at parties, catching the eye of the ambitious American businessman Walter Masterson and his enthusiastic employee, Julian.