A period drama hailed as ‘spectacularly entertaining’ is now free to stream – and it’s perfect to fill in the Bridgerton void.

Costume drama The Paradise, featuring the likes of Sarah Lancashire and Joanna Vanderham, first aired on the BBC in 2012.

The programme aired for two series on BBC One, spanning 16 total episodes before concluding in 2013.

The story begins in 1875 and follows characters who shop or trade in England’s first-ever department store – which shares its name with the show.

Although fans were disappointed there was no third series, they can revisit The Paradise as it is now streaming on Prime Video.

Notable guest stars include Gavin and Stacey’s Adrian Scarborough, Line of Duty‘s Mark Bonnar and Doctor Who’s Arthur Darvill, to name a few.

BBC costume drama The Paradise is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video – and viewers have been left impressed

The story begins in 1875 and follows characters who shop or trade in England’s first-ever department store – which shares its name with the show

In the first series, widower John Moray (Emun Elliott) owns The Paradise department store.

A former draper’s boy in the store’s predecessor, he is financially dependent on Lord Glendenning (Patrick Malahide) – whose daughter Katherine wishes to marry Moray.

New employee Denise Lovett (Joanna Vanderham) arrives from Peebles, a small town in Scotland – and her uncle Edmund (Peter Wight) is a struggling shopkeeper.

Moray views Denise as a rising star from very early on, to the frustration of Miss Audrey (Sarah Lancashire), the head of ladies’ fashion and fellow shopgirl Clara (Sonya Cassidy).

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the show boasts an 84% score from audiences, with the first series averaging a 4.2-star rating out of 5.

One fan wrote: ‘It pulls you in and you can’t wait for the next episode. I love period dramas. I wish there were more than two seasons.’

Another added: ‘I thought it was wonderful, witty, funny, a good period drama and amazing!

‘The colours, the clothing, the storyline and the actors I give 5 stars!! I loved it.’

Others described The Paradise as ‘immersive’ and said that the characters will ‘never be forgotten’.

It comes as ITV dropped all the episodes for an outrageous new comedy series ‘that would make Gordon Ramsay blush’ and fans have been left raving over it.

The Australian series, which first launched in 2021 and ran for two series, has previously been available to stream by customers of Prime Video.

Now, the comedy, which fans have said left them ‘laughing out loud’, has been made available to view for free – four years after it came to an end.

Elsewhere, ITV dropped all the episodes for an outrageous new comedy series ‘that would make Gordon Ramsay blush’ and fans have been left raving over it

Aftertaste stars Packed to the Rafters’ Erik Thompson as internationally renowned chef, but extremely volatile, celebrity chef Easton West.

Tensions are boiling over at the start of the series as a food reviewer at his Shanghai restaurant sends back a dish, which she describes as ‘over-salty’.

The feedback pushes the chef over the edge and, in a rage, he throws a pig carcass at the critic – sparking his spectacular, and very public, fall from grace.

Returning to his home town in Adelaide, Australia, Easton is tasked with rebuilding his career from scratch and in the process restore his tarnished reputation.

He’s joined along the way by his niece Diana, played by Natalie Abbott, who is a talented aspiring young pastry chef.

The series was met with widespread praise when it was first released, with both at-home viewers and critics alike dubbing it ‘witty, dry humoured and dark’.

The Guarded wrote: ‘Aftertaste is worth the benefit of the doubt. It’s a sharp satire that skewers the hollow construct of the celebrity chef and offers a uniquely Australian p***take that’s often laugh-out-loud funny.’