Bel (Polly Walker) needs all the tricks of the trade to keep her hubby Wes’s eye from wandering in the BBC1 drama Age Before Beauty
It’s only episode two but we’re already hooked on this frothy and glossy all-star family saga!
After being roped back in to help save the struggling family business, MirrorBel Beauty Salon, poor Bel (Polly Walker) is now also coping with the discovery that hubby Wes (James Murray) is having his head turned by personal trainer Lorelei.
Determined to find out more, Bel books in for a trial one-to-one fitness session under a fake name so she can check out her love rival – and is horrified to discover Lorelei is young, fit and totally gorgeous…
Meanwhile, Ivy-Rae (a scene-stealing Sue Johnston) hits the dance floor as she competes in a Northern Soul event.
During a break in filming, Lisa Riley (pictured above, right) who plays Bel's tattooist sister, Tina, tells TV Times more about her character.
'Tina’s sarcastic and very wry,' says Lisa. 'She doesn’t miss a trick; she hears everything and is the backbone of the family. Society has a tendency to judge everyone and that’s what everyone has always done with Tina, but they’re wrong – she has this wonderful and shocking secret, which is soon revealed.
'The sisters are all so different for the right reasons – it’s like a Spice Girl thing! – and that’s writer Debbie Horsfield’s genius.
'Bel [Polly Walker], Leanne [Kelly Harrison] and Heidi [Vicky Myers] get frustrated with each other, but it’s how sisters are.
'Off-screen, it’s been amazing; we have morphed into this family,' Lisa explains. 'Like Tina, I’ve been a confidante for the girls but that is me – I’m a good listener.'
TV Times rating: *****
