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“Harry Selfridge’s incredible true life story,” explains London’s Daily Mail, “from the backwoods of Wisconsin {born in 1856} to becoming the ‘Earl of Oxford Street,’ is concluding thisSunday in the Masterpiece drama, Mr. Selfridge.
“Based on Lindy Woodhead’s fascinating biography Shopping, Seduction Mr. Selfridge, it stars Entourage agent provocateur Jeremy Piven as Selfridge, and first featured Zoe Tapper as a cocaine-snorting showgirl who becomes his mistress.”
Fitting then, that this sequel will focus on Zoe, and Harry’s later lovers,as well as his staff.
So let’s pick up where we left off… and fortunately, they’ve left off their costumes for Sleuth'sPart Two as well!
ZOE TAPPER as Ellen Love, Harry’s first mistress, who survives a suicide attempt
DAISY RIDLEY as Roxy Starlet, Harry’s second fling outside marriage
Stardom was ‘far, far away’ when the future Star Wars: The Force Awakens heroine played a corpse in a 2014 episode of the BBC-TV series Silent Witness
POLLY WALKER as Delphine Day, Rose’s racy friend who comes on to Harry behind his wife’s back
KELLY ADAMS as Nancy Webb, who becomes Harry’s fiancée, before being exposed as a con-woman
After being played by the Kylie Minogue clone, according to Jeremy Piven: “Harry was burnt and heartbroken. He feels that love is dead and that there’s no hope.”
Until he meets the legendary Dolly Sisters a few episodes later—Hungarian dancers Rosie and her twin Jenny {the original is shockingly and pointedly braless below right}!
SPOILER ALERT: Selfridge had affairs with both sisters...but it was Jenny Dolly who captivated the mogul—Harry even offered her $10 million {well over a hundred million dollars in today’s money} in 1933 if she’d marry him. Instead, Jenny cheated on him and then took a French gangster named Max as her lover.
Within months, he ran their car into a tree, nearly killing the showgirl and requiring multiple operations to repair her fractured face {which jilted Harry paid for}. Her career ruined, Jenny left for America, where she hanged herself in 1941. It’s estimated the “good time girls” cost Selfridge the equivalent of half a billion dollars with their lavish lifestyle!
EMMA HAMILTON as Rosie Dolly, the first of the twins to bed Harry
ZOE RICHARDS as Jenny Dolly, who Harry then became “just wild about” (and she basically “ruined him”)
KATHERINE KELLYas Lady Mae Loxley Rennard, who sleeps with ‘soulmate’ Selfridge during his break with the detrimental Dollys
NAOMI RYAN asElsa, Victor Colleano’s exotic nightclub manager and lover, who catches him cheating on her with Violette Selfridge, Harry’s virgin daughter
SAI BENNETT as Jessie Pertree, the svelte shopgirl who “flirts with any man I come in contact with” (no wonder she sells 'notions')
“It’s my first period drama,” sighed the actress, “so I’m finding the corsets really hard to handle. It’s the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever gone through.” All the more reason to take it off!
“I’m a seasoned corset wearer,” interjects Amy Beth Hayes, who plays curvy Kitty Hawkins. “I’ve done lots of corset work.” And the now more-worldly Kitty concludes: “Men are very simple creatures at heart. They just need reminding from time to time – what they’re missing.”
Let’s leave the final word to Mr. Selfridge, in the person of Piven: “It’s been an incredible ride. There’s just so much of it that I’ll miss.”
Hopefully, like professional procurer Polly Walker on the show, we haven’t missed a trick …
TheEND
