Britain's Next Big Thing (8pm, BBC2, 12 March) is ostensibly out to identify the star suppliers of the future.
But, refreshingly, it thrusts the spotlight as much on the buyers, and this week, from London emporium Liberty, one in particular immaculately dressed and coiffured buying director Ed Burstell.
Who'd have guessed that every item sold in this quintessentially British store was actually sanctioned by a New Yorker? He was great TV, not least since, entertainingly, he is surely the campest man to hit our screens since Louie Spence.
But, boy, did he have a talent for sorting the retail wheat from the market stall chaff. He seemed to know instantly whether a product was right for the store or not and it was a thumbs up for Tom Hopkins Gibson's driftwood inspired bowls, although he wanted to see more before he made a commitment, which would necessitate him working out where Ayrshire was (Scotland was folded down on his office map).
He was also impressed by Professor Richard Weston's amazing mineral print scarves, Charlotte Sale's nature-inspired glass bowls (although not the less distinctive vase with detachable magnets) and Stephen Morgan and Robin Shannon's electroluminescent lamp.
In fact, the only time he looked flummoxed was when presented with training bras. Was this simply because they didn't sit neatly within the store's existing boudoir-style lingerie offer? Who knows. But presenter Theo Paphitis had no such qualms, declaring them "fabulous", while fondling one just a little too enthusiastically. And at least the bras made it past Burstell's team of buyers in the first place.
Among the more outré products that didn't were a taxidermy lamb and bejewelled jockstrap (which was definitely not helped by the fact it was modelled by a man of a certain age). And that was just the stuff we saw being presented!
Mercifully, we didn't have to witness the humiliation suffered by the lady with the "prototype" toy pigeon. Or the woman with the jewellery welded from junk. In some ways, the whole programme was welded together think a mix of Dragons' Den and The Apprentice but weirdly, unlike the jewellery, it worked.
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But, refreshingly, it thrusts the spotlight as much on the buyers, and this week, from London emporium Liberty, one in particular immaculately dressed and coiffured buying director Ed Burstell.
Who'd have guessed that every item sold in this quintessentially British store was actually sanctioned by a New Yorker? He was great TV, not least since, entertainingly, he is surely the campest man to hit our screens since Louie Spence.
But, boy, did he have a talent for sorting the retail wheat from the market stall chaff. He seemed to know instantly whether a product was right for the store or not and it was a thumbs up for Tom Hopkins Gibson's driftwood inspired bowls, although he wanted to see more before he made a commitment, which would necessitate him working out where Ayrshire was (Scotland was folded down on his office map).
He was also impressed by Professor Richard Weston's amazing mineral print scarves, Charlotte Sale's nature-inspired glass bowls (although not the less distinctive vase with detachable magnets) and Stephen Morgan and Robin Shannon's electroluminescent lamp.
In fact, the only time he looked flummoxed was when presented with training bras. Was this simply because they didn't sit neatly within the store's existing boudoir-style lingerie offer? Who knows. But presenter Theo Paphitis had no such qualms, declaring them "fabulous", while fondling one just a little too enthusiastically. And at least the bras made it past Burstell's team of buyers in the first place.
Among the more outré products that didn't were a taxidermy lamb and bejewelled jockstrap (which was definitely not helped by the fact it was modelled by a man of a certain age). And that was just the stuff we saw being presented!
Mercifully, we didn't have to witness the humiliation suffered by the lady with the "prototype" toy pigeon. Or the woman with the jewellery welded from junk. In some ways, the whole programme was welded together think a mix of Dragons' Den and The Apprentice but weirdly, unlike the jewellery, it worked.
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