New series of Mary Queen of Shops on tonight

[JackieNo]

BBC2, 9-10. I'm looking forward to it

Just drove home past it 20 minutes ago and it looked much busier than normal for 5.20 on a Tuesday!! Definitely people nosing I reckon... will try to take some stealth pictures soon...

I watched this with your comments above in mind and I disagree with most of them.

I see a woman who has run a business for 36 years where the trade as a whole is now in decline. She's gone from 120 loaves a day to 20 and trade to expand the cafe side of it.

Mary's emphasis on the 'baker' is weird, he is after all in bed when the public are putting money in the till.

The scene at Hobbs bakers is interesting, everyone is nervous, the production team have obviously wound everyone up and briefed them in a quite cartoon fashion as to what they hope to get out of the scene. When Angela fails to follow the script ( and yes, production will have written a script that they want the contributors to follow) it falls apart. The two businesses have far more in common then they do apart but that does n't make for such interesting tv.

Don't be fooled by this style of program, think how you would feel if your business had very little cash and yet when they waved tv cameras around you were supposed to find large sums to refurb a business, take time off to travel to Gloucester - was there really no one in London who could have provided a more realistic 'local' buisness model. I would n't trust the production company either.

bobjog - I agree that she is a woman who has run a business for 36 years where the trade as a whole is now in decline. I also saw a woman who I think is scared of change and of losing the customer base that she already has. However that does not in any way excuse her rudeness.

Mary's emphasis on 'baker' is not at all wierd, she was trying to give an unique angle and selling point for the bakery. Living round the the corner and having used the bakery on and off for a number of years I would say that had she taken on board some of Mary's ideas, advertised her homebaked breads in the particular area where we live she would have a roaring trade going, both as a cafe and for the speciality breads. I find it sad every time I go in there and see the shelves empty and I am never tempted by the cakes with faces on, hence the fact I usually go to other cafes in the area.

She isn't supposed to find 'large' sums of money to refurb the business - it was all going to be funded except the floor (which is you recall, she told her son she could pay for herself). It seemed to me that she was only in it for a free refurb rather than to seriously improve her business.

In any workplace, valuing your staff and treating them well, giving responsibility and opportunities is clearly good practice and something she does not do.

Remember, she must have agreed to do this programme and all that was involved. Having watched other series that Mary has done I am unclear as to why she would have expected anything different.

At the end of the day she did not have to go along with any of the ideas, but she came across as petulant and unwilling to even try, despite the feedback from potential customers. There is no excuse for that level of rudeness, especially to that baker that had been kind enough to host her for the day.

Hi hendo77, I'm sure your right in that that style of cafe/bakery does n't appeal to quite a lot of local residents. I think that with a more supportive production team - the presenter generally only appears on camera, a sympathetic revamp could have been achieved. I think that the main contributor was n't actually rude but she was certainly edited, along with voice overs and cut aways to Mary pulling faces to look that way.

I worked for a few years in tv production and looking at it carefully I think a delibrately aggressive stance was used with the editing.

It was n't clear that the production company were going to fund the revamp and indeed the BBC probably has rules about that so I think that Angela had agreed to fund £xxxx and was obviously concerned to find that it did n't cover floor, light fittings & ceiling and that all she got for her money was a few old crates.

I'd love you to ask her and the staff how they felt they were treated by the production company. I'm not connected in any way, I look after my little ones and feel no wish to get back in tv, but it's like a crash on a motorway - you just have to look.

Sorry not read all the posts so don't know if it's been mentioned already but dishy baker did a documentary on BBC3 or 4 about making the perfect loaf and entering it in a competition. It may be on iplayer still, it was really good and i stayed up late to watch it

A friend of my sisters worked on this programme and what you saw on screen is her very very best behaviour. Seemingly she is a vile old bat, who is only nice when she has 100% control.

Fair points well made bobdog. See your points too hendo.

Have a look at the facebook page - Save Paul the Baker - Mary Queen of Shops. It's fab, Paul's daughters have joined in the discussion about his merits!

Having also known a friend that worked there I can confirm what 36years36years36years has just said. I understand your point bobjob, but living in the area and knowing of her through various scouting activities and the such like how she came across is how she generally is known for being like.

Obviously the tv programme was edited for 'best' entertainment value - that is what tv shows like this are about often. However there is no doubt whatsoever she was unacceptably rude to the man who's bakery she visited in cumbria - she actually apologised to him once she realised it was a long running family business.

Since the show, she has taken on board some comments and they do have speciality breads now (although I assume pre-mix!) and they did a little refit themselves (not so much as you would actually notice). My understanding (from a friend that works in TV) is that as part of taking part for the show you get a bit of a refit to your shop - not a lot, it is the BBC and they are flush with money, but a lick or paint and that sort of thing. This doesn't come out of her money at all. I seemed to me that this was all she wanted from participating and didn't understand that to improve her business and take more money needed more than this.

Bobdog - I work in editorial / production and we both know you can't edit what ain't there!

Since the RDF / The Queen series (where they edited Her Maj looking annoyed when she wasn't. It got pulled.), the BBC have implemented a system whereby ALL senior editorial production have to take a course in impartiality, editorial integrity and fairness. And believe me, they are SERIOUSLY hot on it!

The lawyers would have gone over that show with a fine tooth comb and the rushes would have to be kept in case of any discrepancies between the contributor and production company.

Also, they would have asked her - a lot - if she had seen the previous series. And would have sent her copies if she hadn't, in order that she knew exactly what she was getting into. The premise of the series is conflict - every episode has a pushy Mary and a reluctant store owner. The Prod Co, as you know, would have insisted on Informed Consent.

And with regard to a 'script for the contributors'. Hmm, have to disagree. I've shot a number of fact ents shows and have never gone in to a situation like that with a script. An idea of what I want to happen (and they would have know, purely by her personality that she would reject any advice etc) yes. But a script? Absolutely not.

Hendo - does she still run the cafe in New Malden at the dept store? She was a miserable f*er then.

Deaddei - do you mean tudor williams? I'm not sure actually I have to say, but I think not.

Since RDf & the Queen lots of new guidelines have been written but has it really changed the programmes surely the production companies just cover their arse.

Most footage you see can be edited to tell different stories - different music, a quick shot of the presenter pulling a face to undermine the last comment, voice over, etc.

Factual 'Fly-on-the-wall' programmes are very different to 'factual entertainment'. Stuff like Gok, Grand Designs, Supernanny & Mary Queen of Shops is so heavily scripted you can play bingo with Kevin McCloud turning to camera just before the third ad break saying he doesn't think it will work.

I'm sure that with Mary Queen of Shops the crew will rock up on day one with a shooting script which will have for example:
Non-hero shot - business premises bit tatty, grey sky, voice over saying what a struggle, etc, etc
Piece to camera from Mary probably in car - I am an expert, I'm gonna turn this baby around etc.
Arrival shot - outside premises, Mary pulls face, strides to door to meet main contributor who happens to have microphone on and has been falling over kit bags and skinny runners for the last two hours. Mary tells poor helpless shop keeper what the problem is, shopkeeper agrees to problem but blames forces beyond control and strongly denies that product is at fault.
Mary takes product out for vox pops to man in street whos says its shit, shopkeeper agrees & looks sad, bonus points for tears, and begs for help.

Two more shoot days dragging shopkeeper and a staff member round country
Trip to designer for big reveal and grateful smiles from owner, we've turned a corner

Hero ending, new shop reveal, full blue sky filter on camera, possibly sweeping crane shot, happy shoots from public, owner, staff & Mary, final piece to camera from Mary about toughest job yet.

But this one did n't go to plan, I don't know why, may be the shop keeper was just too nervous for tv, maybe she is really evil and it's a crime to run a bakery with cheap, wonky cakes, perhaps it's just a small business going down the drain with very little cash flow strained by the demands of filming.

With no hero shots at the end, how do you spin the story - do you say Mary failed to save a bakers, that the expert could n't help, she could n't manage the hopes, expectations and cash flow of a small business. That Greggs, Costa coffee and ocado shopping are to blame and that you'd need to change society and stop Yummy Mummies ordering online to sell so many more pumpkin loaves to pay for a refit. Or do you end the program not with a hero but with a baddy - in this case the shopkeeper herself (36 years I believe ).

I just wander how ethical these situations are, gambling a small business for just an hour of tv.

To me it looks reasonable if Paul the baker did the nightshift, then got on a train to Gloucester to meet a Baker in a completely different type of area, then came back for another nightshift would you leave a production sheet saying - please do all the stuff we know that sells because we need to keep going and also by the way please make loads of extra fancy bread with ingredients we may not have because the film crew are turning up again tomorrow and a month ago they arranged a focus group for the next narrative point (fancy modern bread - yes I'd pay £2.50). If off camera Shopkeeper said to production I can't ask him, he's been up all night is that why Mary happened to have an Audi's worth of bread?

Sorry long post and rant , I don't watch much UK factual now because it's so formaliac, agenda driven, conflict as entertainment, I stick to HBO & Glee (remember tv execs - hometaping is killing music)

Just watched this on IPlayer. What a vile old bat. She must be horrible to work with / for. Her main aim in life seemed to be to disagree with / be rude to everyone!

I really hope Paul gets headhunted to a new job where he's allowed to use his skills properly.

next episode on now...

watching!

I live in a village and I buy lots from my local shops. I take pride in it. >

Missed the first 10 as I forgot and DH is watching the footie - so booted it upstairs when I realised (finally I see why DH insisted on a second telly!)

I was in that village shop 2 weeks ago. I had no idea it had been sorted by Mary. Have to admit, I loved the shop and bought over £10 of food I didn't need or want before I walked in, and I'm not local

Job well done by Mary, then!

I felt quite sorry for that couple. When you take on a shop like that, the only way to get to know the community is when they come in as customers. You don't have much time to get out and about meeting people. Mary did them a huge favour just by introducing them to some of the locals. Good old TV researchers.

Is it just me, but I actually liked the shop the way it was before selling all kinds of crap. Reminds me of my childhood.

TBH there are loads of shops all poncified up in Dorset (where I live) the end result did not appear unique at all.

I really got the impression the wife didnt like living there.

Looking forward to visiting this summer - I love Corfe Castle, we go to Studland every year. I thought the couple were lovely, but I agree that the wife didn't seem very happy with the move. It is very hard moving from a city to village life, but to change career as well must have been so hard for her. She wasn't such a natural people person as her husband which must be difficult in retail.