TV review - Alex Polizzi: The Fixer Returns

But Alex Polizzi puts stubborn managers, who refuse to take her advice, firmly in their place without the need for a string of swear words.

On The Fixer Returns (BBC2), the hotelier, who was born into the Forte hotel dynasty, was going back to visit two of the firms she had helped on a previous series – a Cornish bakery and a furniture shop in Yorkshire.

Both family businesses have been struggling to stay afloat as their sales dwindled and are being run by "parents who couldn't let go".

Polizzi doesn't mince her words as she gets to grips with what is contributing to their downfall.

At furniture shop, Kettley's, on the outskirts of Leeds, she declares a major revamp of the showroom is needed to drag it out of its "terrible time warp".

"John Lewis, this ain't," says outspoken Polizzi when she arrives at the shop for the first time, visibly unimpressed by what she finds.

Among her other brutally honest observations during the first minute are that the store is "littered with old tat" and she would struggle to find one thing she wanted to buy.

Her style is to say exactly what is on her mind and to look at the business through the eyes of a customer.

And not everyone likes to hear what she has to say head of the family, John, aka 'King of Kettleys' doesn't want to relinquish control or move with modern trends and fashions. While he takes a self-imposed leave of absence, his son David overhauls both the inside and outside of the shop, giving it a more modern layout, ready to relaunch the business.

He nervously waits for John to arrive to see the fruits of his labour but to everyone's surprise – the once stubborn father admits it's a great improvement.

There is a heart-warming moment as he's clearly pleased with what he sees and appears proud of his son.

And 12-months on, Polizzi returns to find that sales are up 25 per cent and the shop is attracting more younger customers.

They are also looking at expanding and have filmed a television advert – "the family's boldest step yet," she says.

And son David has taken over the buying of stock from his father.

However Polizzi is not amused to find that some of 'the old tat' has crept its way back in. Some pretty ugly figurines, favoured by John, are still on some shelves around the shop.

Arriving at Chough's bakery in Padstow her first impression was that "it doesn't make you want to charge in and buy your Cornish pasty here".

She went on to label the family's bread as "pretty ordinary" and the range of cakes and confectionary "a flashback to the 70s". Her 'no holds barred' approach can seem harsh at first but it's often very easy to see her point.

The shop is not making the most of its sea front location,she says. And there are, as usual with the businesses she helps, family politics to overcome.

Matriarch Elaine is planning to retire but doesn't seem to want to leave and has to have the final say, ignoring her son and daughter's wishes.

First on the action plan is overhauling the window display and then launching a new range of frozen pasties, as son Gregg and daughter Louisa take on more responsibility.

While the shop is given a new look and a new range of breads and cakes are introduced.

The family hosts Padstow's first ever Cornish Pasty Day – which even had a visit from television chef Rick Stein.

A year later, the shop has gone from strength to strength with speciality breads and traditional pasties flying out the door. But the tiny pasty kitchen at the shop is struggling to keep up with demand so there are looking to expand, hoping to secure a deal with an international distributor.

Both businesses have a much brighter future and it seems The Fixer has done her job again.