Alex Polizzi - The Fixer

Alex Polizzi's new show, 'Alex Polizzi - The Fixer' is on BBC2 on Tuesdays at 8:00pm. I didn't catch this weeks episode since I was out at the theatre for the first time in ages but I watched it on the iPlayer last night and loved it.

Alex is skillful in agreeing to do shows that play to her strengths - 'The Hotel Inspector' plays to her hotel background and 'The Fixer' uses her experience in working in a family business to the full. Alex has a lovely no-nonsense approach to helping the businesses she works with improve and, hopefully, thrive. Sometimes it's hand in velvet glove and other times it's fist in a boxing glove. And every now and then we see a heart of gold.

I like it when Alex swears. She has a gob like a trooper when she wants but she seems to be holding herself in check in the new series, or maybe it's just the editing? She has to have the patience of a saint sometimes.

This week Alex descends on Props & Frocks, a family run fancy dress dress shop near Basildon in Essex. The first glimpse of the shop makes it look huge and over-stuffed with merchandise. At one point a couple of the family say there's just too much variety for them to be able to choose the best selling stuff. If even they have problems, what about the poor punters? So Alex helps them streamline, helps them market the shop, brings in an expert to help re-model the place and hey presto, we have Props & Frocks version 2 ready to take off. And I hope it does.

The family seemed lovely, all willing to throw themselves into whatever scheme Alex dreamed up and not a cross word from any of them (and that's a big change considering the poor family relations in some of the other programmes). They came across as genuine, decent and hard-working people and that's part of what makes this show and makes us want to see them succeed. Nice people should win.

They've been given a flying start with Alex's free consultancy, a newly modelled shop and a prime time telly slot. They just need to build on it - and they are. I tweeted about the programme last night and today I've had two tweets back from Adele, the owner of the shop. That's great customer service - respond to people - and only increases my initial view that these are nice people that deserve to succeed.

So, if you want fancy dress or accessories, pop into Props & Frocks or buy online at http://www.props-n-frocks.co.uk/ . Go on, you know it makes sense.

Oh, and do you want to know my favourite bit of the programme? Seeing Alex change into a green, glittery, glamrock costume and put on a wig to sell stuff to students. Nothing is too much trouble for Saint Alex!