IN recent weeks, Tuesdays have become girly telly night for me.

Goodness knows where the husband has been, but between busy rehearsal nights, the relaxation of Great British Bake Off and new BBC period drama The Paradise has been just that.

To be frightfully stereotypical – baking and shopping, what more could a girl want?

We’ve spoken here before of GBBO, as fans call it, and this week was semi-final time. Our final four rose to their challenges in the main with no major disasters, but the tension was in the air, alongside the scent of the tantalising treats.

Tension, however, has been a little lacking in the first two outings to BBC1’s 1870s’ department store-set drama.

No doubt, the sets, props and costumes of the Paradise store are beautiful but the whole thing fell a little flat in terms of storytelling. Issues were there, but waiting until a third episode for them to begin to surface will undoubtedly put off viewers.

This week, we began to understand a little more of the rivalries and relationships and I have to say I’m glad – there’s only so long that pretty frocks and handsome, suited chaps can distract me from a size eight plot.

I’ll reserve judgement for now on whether this is televisual haute couture or the bargain basement sale rail.