IT’S been a year since a fiery ‘Fifty Shades’ fever gripped the nation, as the erotica franchise by Brit E L James become the UK’s no. 1 bestseller.

The trilogy, begun with ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, achieved both notoriety and popularity for its explicitly erotic scenes and shaking up of the ‘rulebook’ in the bedroom.

It’s thought a whopping 70 million of us worldwide have been curious enough to read about the unconventional relationship between Anastasia Steele, graduate, and enigmatic young tycoon, Christian Grey – and still counting.

In Taunton, Simply Pleasure, in Station Road, has been catering for the newfound curiosity that a Fifty Shades culture shift is continuing to inspire locally.

Since introducing their E L James’-approved ‘line’ in their adult shop in Taunton’s Station Road, more and more people have been coming in to take a look, says shop assistant Viqui Colmer.

“It came in roughly at the start of the New Year, and it’s definitely encouraging a different kind of clientele in,” says Viqui.

“The products themselves have been doing really well, and they’re popular, not just because people see ‘Fifty Shades’, but actually because they’re really good quality.

“People want to try more stuff, and they’ll often start with the blindfolds.

“New customers have definitely been driven in by it – lots of people who have never been in a shop like this before – and I do think they were enticed by Fifty Shades.

“I think it has freed people up a bit.”