U.K.'s ITV Orders Second Season of 'Mr Selfridge' With Jeremy Piven

keri · ‎12-22-2010

Here's some totally unexpected, but wonderfully welcome news regarding a Masterpiece Classic program, MR. SELFRIDGE - season 2 (or, as the British say, "series" 2).

NOTE: This article contains S2 spoilers* - real spoilers* - about upcoming episodes.

*FYI - A spoiler is defined as "an element of a disseminated summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot elements which threaten to give away important details concerning the turn of events of a dramatic episode. Typically, the details of the conclusion of the plot, including the climax and ending, are especially regarded as spoiler material. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information regarding any part of a given media that a potential consumer would not want to know beforehand. Because enjoyment of fiction depends a great deal upon the suspense of revealing plot details through standard narrative progression, the prior revelation of how things will turn out can "spoil" the enjoyment that some consumers of the narrative would otherwise have experienced.

Please note that a spoiler is NOT an element that has already aired, but just because some people haven't seen it yet, they INACCURATELY and repeatedly label as a "spoiler."

I hope that clears up lingering ambiguity and finally brings closure to the misconceptions regarding the rampant misuse and abuse of this term.

Mr Selfridge Series 2: Production for new series starts (with Gregory Fitoussi returning) and Aisling Loftus says she feels sorry for Jeremy Piven!

May 14th, 2013 by Anna Howell

Production on the second series of the hit ITV period drama, Mr Selfridge, has begun, and cast favourites Jeremy Piven, Katherine Kelly, Aisling Loftus and Frances O’Connor return, along with new cast members Polly Walker, Aidan McArdle and Cal Macaninch.

ITV have revealed that ten new episodes have been commissioned based on the huge success of the first series of the show, which centred around the life and work of Selfridges founder, Harry Selfridge (Jeremy Piven).

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************* SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! ***************

If you don't want to know in advance what's about to happen,
PLEASE DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT.

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The second series is said to pick up with the shop in 1914, as it celebrates its fifth anniversary, but with rumours of war beginning to circulate, the once hugely proud Harry has to start preparing his staff for the implications that the war is bound to have on his high-end business.

Harry is also said to start missing his wife Rose (Francess O’Connor), who he has become increasingly estranged from since the store opened, with her spending long periods in America with their daughter, so has to face the terrors of war as a predominantly single man.

The first episode will see Rose surprise Harry for the anniversary, which spurs him on to try and win her back for good. However, his campaign is slightly threatened by her new found friendship with a Bohemian novelist, and Soho nightclub owner Delphine Day (Polly Walker).

Also facing uncertainty is Lady Mae Loxley (Katherine Kelly) who gets a surprise herself when her estranged husband, Lord Loxley (Aidan McArdle) returns and threatens to drive a wedge between her and Harry.

In the shop and there is a new Head of Fashion Mr Thackeray (Cal Macaninch) who sees himself as more important than the rest of the staff due to his Parisian training and experience, and the main object of his dislike is Agnes Towler (Aisling Loftus), who has just returned from Paris and been appointed as the new Head of Display.

Also returning from America is Henri Leclair (Gregory Fitoussi) despite reports circulating at the end of the first series that the character had left for good as Fitoussi had quit.

Other key characters also set to return include Miss Josie Mardle, played by Amanda Abbington, (Married, Single, Other), Tom Goodman-Hill (Spy, The Hollow Crown) as Harry’s Chief of Staff Mr Roger Grove, Ron Cook as Harry’s ever-faithful right hand man, Mr Crabb, Samuel West as journalist Frank Edwards, Amy Beth Hayes as ambitious shop girl Kitty Hawkins and Calum Callaghan as George Towler.

Kate Lewis, executive producer for ITV Studios said: “ITV Studios is thrilled to be making a second series of Mr Selfridge. The story of Harry Selfridge, his family and colleagues has drawn in a strong drama audience and we are delighted by the response. The second series will allow us to build on this success and it is a fantastic opportunity to focus on 1914 during the centenary of the Great War.”

Meanwhile, at this weekend’s BAFTA award ceremony, Aisling Loftus admitted that she felt sorry for her co-star Jeremy Levin!

Speaking to Heatworld about the actor, who plays the main character Harry Selfridge, she explained:

“He’s lovely. Sometimes I feel quite sorry for him, because I think he’s quite a different beast to the rest of the cast – particularly me and Amanda [Abbington, her co-star, who plays Miss Ardle].

“We are proper p*ss-takers, we’re just very irreverent, and it’s just different to American humour, you know? But yeah, I feel like he’s more found his feet this series. He’s quite a ladies man you know!”

With regards to her characters future, she continued:

“A certain French man has come back to London and I’m not sure which way it’s going to go, to be honest, because they’re keeping us all a bit in the dark about it, which is quite fun!”

She went on to explain how the Great War would impact on the series:

“The upset of the Great War is going to have a huge impact on everyone.

“There’s different people coming back that perhaps we thought were gone – not naming any names! But yeah, it’s really exciting!”