Mr Selfridge is a British period drama television series created by Andrew Davies and based on Lindy Woodhead's biography Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge which revolves around the real-life story of the flamboyant and visionary American founder of Selfridge's, the iconic London department store.
Award-winning actor Jeremy Piven (Entourage) leads the cast as American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, in the new drama Mr Selfridge, about the life of the flamboyant and visionary American entrepreneur, produced by ITV Studios for ITV1.
Created by multi-award winning writer Andrew Davies, and written by Andrew Davies, Kate Brooke and Kate O'Riordan, Mr Selfridge tells the story of 'Mile a Minute Harry', a man with a mission to make shopping as thrilling as sex.
Pioneering and reckless, with an almost manic energy, he created a theatre of retail where any topic or trend that was new, exciting, entertaining - or sometimes just eccentric - was showcased.
Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street) joins Piven in Mr Selfridge as the confident and alluring socialite Lady Mae, whose connections prove vital for Harry as he builds his empire.
Also starring is Frances O'Connor (Piccadilly Jim) who plays Harry's wife Rose, acclaimed French actor Grégory Fitoussi (Spiral) as Henri Leclair, Harry's flamboyant creative director, Aisling Loftus (The Borrowers, Dive) as shop assistant Agnes, Trystan Gravelle (Anonymous) as ladies' man Victor, the Assistant Manager at Selfridge's in-store restaurant, and Zoe Tapper (Desperate Romantics) playing a celebrated stage entertainer, Ellen Love, who becomes the new 'face' of Selfridge's.
The drama is set in London in 1909, at a time when women were revelling in a new sense of freedom and modernity. Harry wanted to indulge, empower and celebrate these women and so opened the doors of his lavish department store, on London's famous Oxford Street.
Through the innovations and spectacular events Harry staged within the store, the stories shines a light on hidden moments of the history of women, be it fashion, cosmetics, technology or domestic affairs.
Harry's colourful life plays out against the rich tapestry of London at the turn of the
century. In his leisure hours he was a gambler, and although happily married, he enjoyed the company of glamorous show girls and film stars. His womanising was legendary and he very much lived life in the fast lane.
Mr Selfridge is based upon the book Shopping, Seduction and Mr Selfridge by author Lindy Woodhead which is the account of the real life story of Harry Gordon Selfridge and his store.
Andrew Davies and his writing team have cherry picked the most intriguing aspects of Harry's real life and used them as a spring-board to create a big, glamorous city story.
There is a rich cast of fictional characters to fall in love with, whose fortunes are all interlinked with his own extraordinary story. From the opulent life of London's social elite, to the bright lights, glamour and back-stage intrigue of London's theatres, from board rooms, private poker games and smoky music halls to the working men and women trying to make their own success, this is period drama firmly set in the advent of modernity.
Mr Selfridge is produced by Chrissy Skinns (Marchlands, Secret Diary of a Call Girl) and executive produced by ITV Studios Drama's Kate Lewis. The series is directed by Jon Jones (Titanic, Northanger Abbey) John Strickland (Whitechapel, Bodies), Anthony Byrne (Silent Witness, Upstairs Downstairs) and Michael Keillor (Young James Herriot, Shameless).