Bridgerton star Sabrina Bartlett is set to appear in The Larkins, an ITV reboot of the famous classic The Darling Buds of May.
In the reboot of the cherished nineties comedy based on the H.E Bates novels, she will play young woman Mariette Larkin, originally played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Joining her will include Bradley Walsh and Joanna Scanlan, portraying husband and wife Pop Larkin and Ma, characters initially played by David Jason and Pam Ferris.
It’ll follow the titular working-class family the Larkins, who live in the Kent countryside. We will go on a journey back to the 1950’s, observing Pop, Ma, and their six children living their idyllic farmland lifestyle while dealing with snobbish neighbours and government official threats. Bartlett is set to tell us her story as Marianne, a story of love that blossoms when accountant Cedric ‘Charley’ Charlton (played by Tok Stephen) arrives in the village, who is sent to deal with the family’s tax affairs.
Bartlett revealed her excitement in a statement: “I am really, really excited to be taking on the role of Mariette, I can’t wait to bring these heart-warming stories to life alongside such a wonderful team. It’s just the perfect dose of escapism we all need right now”.
The cast was due to start filming last year, however it was put on hold due to the pandemic. The six-part series is now set to begin filming in the summer, and likely to be on air in autumn or in the early months of 2022.
The series will be written by The Durrells screenwriter Simon Nye, and ITV states that it “aims to capture the warmth, optimism and escapism of the Larkin family for a modern generation.” Nye says “We can’t wait to immerse ourselves in this glorious countryside idyll”. As an audience, we cannot wait either.
Words by Danielle Saunders
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