The Larkins reboot with Bradley Walsh begins on ITV
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ITV’s The Larkins is the latest period drama to hit the network, with a few familiar faces the comedy-drama swooped viewers in after it premiered on Sunday. However, many claimed it was too similar to The Darling Buds of May which aired on ITV in 1991, causing the showrunner to quickly shut down concerns in a recent interview.
Speaking to ITV, showrunner and executive producer Ben Farrell was asked about viewers’ claims and concerns about The Larkins being the second remake of the series.”
He stated: “We know when this version hits screens it will evoke memories of the 1990’s TV version, it was so well-loved by everyone and David Jason is a national treasure.”
Ben explained: “The way I look at it is we’re not short of Dickens adaptions, would people say Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol has been adapted too many times?
“I think there are always new takes on those stories depending on the age we’re living in,” he added.
The producer went on to say: “The fact the original novels were adapted for television over 30 years ago is no reason not to reinterpret them for a modern audience.
“We’re not re-making a television series, we’re adapting a set of novels,” he concluded.
Both series were based on books of the same name – Darling Buds of May – by author H.E. Bates and published in 1958.
This novel was the first of five in the series, which focused on The Larkins, a rural family living in Kent.
The latest adaption is a six-part series which aired on Sunday and introduced patriarch Pop Larkin (played by Bradley Walsh) alongside his wife Ma Larkin (Joanna Scanlan).
It gave viewers an insight into their family life with six children, vehicle focusing on their eldest child, Mariette Larkin (Sabrina Bartlett).
One of the main concerns from viewers was about its characters, as Pop was originally played by Only Fools and Horses star David Jason.
Ma was portrayed by Pam Ferris, while Catherine Zeta-Jones received her career breakthrough as Mariette.
While the Larkins family are kind and good-hearted people who are known to offer a helping hand their morals can sometimes fail them.
In fact, this is the reason why certain members of the local community were less than willing to be nice to the family.
This will eventually lead to a visit from Cedric ‘Charley’ Charlton (Tok Stephan), who worked at the office of the Inspector of Taxes.
Although his visit was initially professional, it will begin to turn personal after he meets Mariette and begins to fall in love with her.
However, it isn’t going to be simple as local charmer Tom Fisher (Stephen Hagan) makes his interest in Mariette very clear.
While she will have men fawning over her, it will be revealed Mariette’s interests will be elsewhere and have nothing to do with men.
Despite the show being a modern adaptation of the book, viewers were still unimpressed as they continued to compare it to the previous series.
One tweeted: “Disappointed. Why remake it? Play the originals and they’d probably be just as popular now. I like Bradley but sorry there’s only one Pa Larkin for me and that’s the legend that is Sir David Jason.”
The Larkins continues Sundays on ITV at 8pm.
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