As the nights draw in and we head for what may be a bleaker winter than most, little could be more welcome on TV than the return of the Larkin family.
The rambunctious creations of HE Bates made their screen debut 31 years ago in The Darling Buds Of May but found millions of new fans when the 1950s-set stories were given a new lease of life last year in The Larkins, with Bradley Walsh and Joanna Scanlan as Pop and Ma.
A winning mix of nostalgia, humour, romance and the bucolic beauty of the Kent countryside, it was just what we needed to see us through a second pandemic winter. Bradley’s son Barney Walsh, who plays the village’s lovelorn PC Harness, is right when he describes the show as ‘summer in a bottle’, and fans will be pleased to hear there’s more of the same in store when it returns to our screens next weekend.
Firstly the romance. With big sister Mariette now married to Charley, the focus turns to her bookish younger sister Primrose (Lydia Page). Handily, just as she declares to her father, ‘I’ve had it with boys, I want a man,’ a new vicar arrives in the village.
Going by the name Ian Candy (the name jokingly shortens to ‘I Candy’ – eye candy!), his good looks quickly attract attention, especially from Primrose, who gets tongue-tied in his presence and is soon dreaming of a happy-ever-after with him. But things don’t quite go as planned.
With big sister Mariette (played by Joelle Rae, pictured) now married to Charley, the focus turns to her bookish younger sister Primrose
‘She’s reached a time of her life many people will empathise with as she finishes school and is on the brink of adulthood,’ says Lydia. ‘We get to see her experience all sorts of new things, at work and in love, and the story is clumsy and funny and sweet and full of heart.
‘Unlike her big sister, who was confident and used to men falling at her feet, Primrose doesn’t have the skills or the experience. I think all of us go through that time as a young person when romance can be painfully awkward and embarrassing and you just want the ground to swallow you.’
Thankfully Mariette and Charley return to help her. Tok Stephen is still in the role of Charley, but Mariette is now played by Joelle Rae, replacing Sabrina Bartlett who left before filming of the new series started.
Joelle and Lydia happen to be old friends, having done their drama training together in Nottingham. ‘Joining the cast was surreal for me, but I knew Lydia. We weren’t in the same sessions but we watched each other’s plays and now we’re really close,’ says Joelle. ‘I feel like I’ve found a real friend.’
She says she related to Mariette’s storyline too. ‘She goes through a similar journey from the first series to the second as I have as a young woman in terms of leaving home and wanting to spread your wings.
‘In this series she’s worried about her family because of what happens to them, and she also worries about her smaller family that may happen in the future. I can relate to that and I hope everyone loves it as much as I’ve loved playing her.
The rambunctious creations of HE Bates made their screen debut 31 years ago in The Darling Buds Of May but found millions of new fans when the 1950s-set stories were given a new lease of life last year in The Larkins, with Bradley Walsh and Joanna Scanlan as Pop and Ma, pictured
‘What was also lovely was being able to film in the same location where the show is set, because that’s quite rare. Just being there in the sun and around the animals helps to immerse you in the character and in the warm, fuzzy feeling people get watching the show.’
Another newcomer is Maxim Ays, who plays Reverend Candy. He admits he was amused to hear the character’s name when he got the role. ‘When my mum said, ‘So his name is Eye Candy?’ I felt objectified,’ he laughs.
‘But it is a very sweet story. He has apprehensions about the age difference, but in many ways he’s less experienced with life. A bit like Charley in the previous series, when he meets the Larkins he finds himself in this different world where people aren’t just existing, they’re really living. He gets inspired by them.’
Not every one who moves into the area feels the same way, however. The Larkin clan find themselves in jeopardy when Pop, in one of his wheeler-dealer arrangements, sells the decrepit manor house next to the Larkin farm to city dwellers Pinkie and Cuthbert Jerebohm (Morgana Robinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt) for more than it’s worth. When they realise the extent of the house’s problems, and how much over the odds they’ve paid, they plot revenge.
For once, Pop has met his match. ‘He was going to give a chunk of the land to Mariette and Charley, but when he sees these posh types turning up and asking for it, he can’t help himself,’ says Bradley.
‘For a while he has his head turned by Pinkie, but he underestimates her. He thinks because she’s attractive – and the girls love him – they can become friends, but that’s not how it goes. He falls into her trap, she’s a bit of a femme fatale, a Cruella de Vil character who’s very manipulative.
‘He knows Pinkie is desperate to live there because it’s a big house on a hill and she wants to show off in front of everybody and be the big fish in the pond. But he doesn’t realise how aggrieved the Jerebohms will be at being sold a money pit. Their attempt to get their own back is very damaging to the Larkins and threatens all they have.’
For Morgana, currently in BBC2 sitcom Stuck, it was a joy to get her teeth stuck into such a conniving character. ‘She is a piece of work,’ she laughs. ‘But also charming and witty… and she’s very bad news for the Larkins. She hoodwinks Pop and it messes with the entire family. She’s out to get revenge for being ripped off. She’s an utter baddie.’
The series was filmed this summer with sunshine in almost every scene, and Bradley says the Larkins’ way of life rubbed off on him. ‘We take over an entire farm in Kent which is owned by the most wonderful people who just let us do all sorts of things,’ he says.
‘I love being down there. Instead of commuting from London, I get my own accommodation near the location.
Tok Stephen is still in the role of Charley, but Mariette is now played by Joelle Rae, replacing Sabrina Bartlett (pictured centre) who left before filming of the new series started
‘There’s something wonderful about the English countryside, especially Kent. And while I’m there, I get to drive the tractors and combine harvesters and have some fun. The world the Larkins live in is idyllic.
I was born in 1960 but I would love to have been a teenager in the 1950s. Every day when I enter the world of the Larkins I get a warm feeling, so much so that I’ve tried to re-create it in my own garden – I’ve set up hay bales for seats.’
Food is an essential part of the Larkin idyll. ‘The tables of food make your mouth water,’ says Bradley.
‘Almost all the food you see on the table is real and freshly prepared and I’ve been known to take it home – in fact I’ve just finished this massive game pie which has been in my freezer.
‘It took two days to make and was about 14in tall and 14in round – the size of an Austin 1100!
‘At the end of the scene I asked, ‘What’s going to happen to that pie?’ No one else wanted it so I took it home and I’ve been tucking into it ever since. Part of the difference between the Larkins and the Jerebohms is in the way they approach food – Pinkie’s on a permanent diet and they don’t feed their guests.’
Not that everything was up for grabs, however. ‘There was this scene where the Larkin kids are selling strawberries and there were 50 punnets sat there winking at me,’ recalls Morgana.
‘I knew I couldn’t touch them during filming but I was thinking to myself, ‘As soon as we’re done I’m going to tuck straight in!’ But when I dived forward someone shouted, ‘Don’t! They’ve all been sprayed with hairspray!’ Apparently it makes them look shinier.’
The other stars of the show are the animals, which are all trained by animal expert Jill Clark.
‘They bring so much chaos to the filming, but in a good way,’ smiles Lydia. ‘I was surprised to learn that the pig, who’s in a lot of scenes, had to audition – the producers were sent tapes showing how fast he could run.
‘This pig has been in lots of things, it’s probably had a longer career than me.
‘It’s so cool to turn up to work and find 12 geese you have to try not to be eaten by – it peps up your day! With them and the children, the whole thing feels unpredictable and exciting and I think people can see the fun we’re having on screen.’
The Larkins returns on Sunday 16 October at 8pm on ITV.
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