The Darling Buds of May 

The life of the Larkin family, farmers in Kent.

Stars:

David Jason, Pam Ferris, Stephanie Ralph

1 win.

Cast

Series cast summary:
David Jason	...	Pop Larkin 20 episodes, 1991-1993
Pam Ferris	...	Ma Larkin 20 episodes, 1991-1993
Stephanie Ralph	...	Victoria 19 episodes, 1991-1993
Philip Franks	...	Charley / ... 18 episodes, 1991-1993
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Mariette 18 episodes, 1991-1993
Christina Giles	...	Petunia 18 episodes, 1991-1993
Katherine Giles	...	Zinnia 18 episodes, 1991-1993
Rachel Bell	...	Edith Pilchester 16 episodes, 1991-1993
Ross Marriott	...	Oscar 16 episodes, 1991-1993
Ian Tucker	...	Montgomery 13 episodes, 1991-1992
Abigail Rokison	...	Primrose 12 episodes, 1991-1993
Moray Watson	...	Brigadier 11 episodes, 1991-1993
Daisy-May Bates	...	John Blenheim 11 episodes, 1992-1993

Storyline

The life of the Larkin family, farmers in Kent.

---

Plot Keywords:

farmer | husband wife relationship | rural setting | five word title | family relationships | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The novel was written in 1957, and Yorkshire Television wanted David Jason to play Pop Larkin. He had never read the book so he went away and did so before accepting the part, and pronounced it a charming read, as well as lovely, but not much happened and didn't go anywhere. But the characters were strong, especially Pop Larkin, and he would be fun to play. Jason's only condition was to shoot the series on film, because he didn't want it to be a studio production. At least on film, it would look good, and have some quality about it, even if nothing happened.

---

Quotes

[repeated line]
Sidney Charles 'Pop' Larkin: This calls for a cocktail!

---

Connections

Referenced in Tracey Ullman's Show: Episode #1.1 (2016)

User Reviews

Perfick joy

I love this series, it's such a feelgood programme. I really wish life could always turn out Perfick, like it does for the Larkins! What I love about them, especially Pop, is their irrepressible joy in life and ability to see the best in every situation. Pop can turn a wet miserable weekend into a joyous romp by sheer force of personality. Wonderful.

(Someone from USA said this on this comments page; "We saw an episode on TV the other day and Peter Jackson got a director credit, but I don't see him listed here or this series listed on Jackson's page. The credits show several directors and it seems to be common practice to have guest directors." I think they're thinking of a different Peter Jackson, the well-known director. The cinematography on this series was done by a Peter Jackson, which is a pretty common name I suppose.)

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1991 (UK)

Also Known As:

Buds of May

Filming Locations:

Yorkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Excelsior, Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min (20 episodes) 100 min (9 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1