{"id":648916,"date":"2026-06-20T12:32:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/648916\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:32:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:32:22","slug":"best-ever-period-drama-filmed-in-stunning-durham-countryside-streaming-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/648916\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Best ever’ period drama filmed in ‘stunning’ Durham countryside streaming now"},"content":{"rendered":"

This acclaimed period drama is set in North East England and is an adaptation of an 1883 novel\"The<\/p>\n

Fans have been loving a period drama that’s set in the North East(Image: UKTV)<\/p>\n

A period drama set in the North East<\/a> is currently available to watch at no cost, and is ideal viewing for Downton Abbey fans.<\/p>\n

Television audiences are being urged to watch a visually stunning series, which was filmed at Lambton Castle in County Durham<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Paradise is a British costume drama<\/a> series that is adapted from \u00c9mile Zola’s 1883 novel, Au Bonheur des Dames. While Zola’s book focused on retelling the story of Aristide Boucicaut, the Bell\u00eame-born founder of Le Bon March\u00e9, the series instead relocates the story to the North East of England.<\/p>\n

It focuses on an “intoxicating love story” that’s set in England’s first department store in the 1870s.<\/p>\n

The series premiered on BBC<\/a> One back in 2012, before landing in the US the following year. A second series followed in 2013.<\/p>\n

\"Joanna<\/p>\n

Joanna Vanderham and Sarah Lancashire lead the show’s cast(Image: UKTV)<\/p>\n

The first season began in 1875 and followed the lives and loves of those who worked, shopped and traded in and around the first English department store. The owner of The Paradise store is widower John Moray, who was once a draper’s boy in Emersons, the small shop that grew under his managership into The Paradise.<\/p>\n

Into this world comes Denise Lovett, who hails from the small town of Peebles in Scotland. Her uncle, Edmund, is one of the shopkeepers struggling to survive.<\/p>\n

Denise takes a job at The Paradise and is soon seen by Moray as a rising star, much to the annoyance of Miss Audrey, the head of ladies’ fashion, and of Clara, a fellow shopgirl.<\/p>\n

Joanna Vanderham leads the cast as Denise Lovett, alongside Emun Elliott as John Moray. The ensemble also includes Peter Wight, Matthew McNulty, David Hayman, Sarah Lancashire, Sonya Cassidy, Stephen Wight, and Elaine Cassidy.<\/p>\n

You can now immerse yourself in all things high street, as all 16 episodes of The Paradise are streaming for free on U.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Paradise is currently streaming for free(Image: UKTV\/Matt Squire)<\/p>\n

Audiences have shared their praise for the drama across various social media platforms, with one IMDb user writing: “This was a thoroughly delightful series to watch. Stunning costumes and scenery. Outstanding performances. Flawless masterpiece.”<\/p>\n

Another added: “The best ever!! Just as good as Downton Abbey,” while a third said: “Absolutely captivated by the brilliance of Denise and the charm of Mr Murray.”<\/p>\n

Someone else commented: “The Paradise is just that! An amazing show which captivates you very quickly and has you thinking constantly,” with another sharing: “My wife and I have enjoyed other period shows such as Downton Abbey, Bridgerton, and The Gilded Age, and I think it’s better than all of them.”<\/p>\n

A sixth viewer echoed the sentiment, saying: “One of the most underrated shows. It compels you to binge watch! It’s a stand out series. So flawless.”<\/p>\n

Another fan agreed, saying: “Better than Mr Selfridge,” while someone else shared: “Impeccably cast, extremely handsome, predictably soapy and a trifle slow moving, it’s another first-rate costume drama.”<\/p>\n

The Paradise is streaming for free on U<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This acclaimed period drama is set in North East England and is an adaptation of an 1883 novel…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":648917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-648916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/648917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}