For the first time ever, Mary Portas the shop critic and retail consultant, wants to launch her own store. She’s spent years trying to raise retailer’s standards with her outspoken reviews but now she’s joining the High Street and opening her shop to give grown up women an alternative to the teenage fashion or frump on the high street. But, can the woman who has pointed the finger at so many other retailers do it any better? This fly-on-the-wall series follows Mary, warts and all, and takes viewers behind the scenes of one of Britain’s best known retailers.

Mary has spotted a gap in the market – high street style that works for women, not girls. She is about to stake her professional reputation on designing, launching and most importantly, successfully selling her own fashion range exclusively aimed at this market. And she’s doing it amidst one of the country’s worst recessions for decades.

With so much stacked against Mary’s reputation, and ever conscious that she will be scrutinized to make sure she practices what she has preached, she battles a rollercoaster of emotions that see her reach breaking point trying to make her dream become a viable reality. Can the former queen of shops become a successful Queen of Frocks?