It’s fantastic! I get to drive the tractors, I get to drive the combine, all that stuff...
As the much-loved ITV drama The Larkins returns for a second series, danielle de wolfe discovers what went on behind-the-scenes from star Bradley Walsh
FOR most of us, a day at the office involves the glare of a computer monitor, a malfunctioning photocopier and the subtle soundtrack of a clicking mouse. But for Bradley Walsh, it’s a nine-to-five that looks markedly different.
Gallivanting across the rolling Kent countryside, befriending pigs and taking a joyride aboard a tractor, you’d be mistaken for thinking Bradley had pulled a Clarkson and bought himself a farm.
The truth, however, is that this is another day behind the scenes of returning ITV series The Larkins.
Shunning the concrete jungle for lush greenery in the Garden of England, a grin appears across the Doctor Who and Coronation Street actor’s animated face as he recalls life on set.
“The city is great, but there’s something wonderful about the English countryside,” says Bradley, 62. “It’s fantastic! I love it there. I get to drive the tractors, I get to drive the combine, all that stuff... We have a resident pig there, we call him Phil – I’m not even sure it’s a he...” confesses Bradley. With filming for the show place on a farm near taking
Sevenoaks, country life – and the accompanying short commute to work from his accommodation – holds a strong appeal for Bradley.
“I’m of an age where I can’t sit in traffic. I haven’t got long to live,” jokes the actor.
Written by Bafta-nominated screenwriter Simon Nye (Finding Alice, The Durrells), the series is adapted from HE Bates’s best-selling novels.
Every inch a Darling Buds Of May reboot, the show is once again set in the 1950s.
“I would have loved to have lived in the 50s – I just think that would have been the most wonderful, wonderful time,” admits Bradley.
Describing the way in which the show’s underlying sensibilities permeated his own life, Bradley says the sense of community is “very evocative of an ideal age”.
Inspired by his surroundings, the actor admits to installing hay bales in his own back garden – even going as far as inviting “the local parish council round” for meetings.
“I’ve tried to implement that, but obviously, for one thing or another it hasn’t quite happened,” says the actor with a shrug.
“I’m looking at the hay bales now and they’re sodden – they’ve all sort of gone horribly wrong.”
I’m of an age where I can’t sit in traffic. I haven’t got long to live!
Bradley Walsh
A warm-hearted tale infused with comedy, the show follows the meandering exploits of The Larkin family – working-class wheelerdealers who embrace rural life to the full.
Appearing alongside Bafta award-winning Notes On A Scandal star Joanna Scanlan, the pair take on the roles of much-loved Pop and Ma Larkin respectively.
At something of a loss after their newly married daughter Mariette (Joelle Rae) prepares to fly the coop with husband Cedric Charlton (Tok Stephens) and travel Europe, the remaining family members find themselves at odds with their new neighbours as series two begins.
Describing the incoming Jerebohm family as “real swish types from London”, Bradley says much of the discord this season centres around wife Pinkie – nicknamed after her love of the colour.
“Pinkie wants to be in the countryside, the husband doesn’t particularly want to be.
“They are what you would call upwardly mobile – but more of a higher echelon [of ] society, whereas consequently, the Larkins aren’t.”
A series which once again sees family placed centre-stage, The Larkins’ large dining scenes continue to be a huge selling point for Bradley.
Rolling off an entertaining anecdote involving one such setup, the actor admits that at times the temptation of the banquets becomes too much to bear.
“In the first episode, you see Pop coming in a bit worse for wear, a bit drunk... and there’s a massive close up of a game pie,” explains the actor.
“That game pie is real. It took two days to make. Seriously, I’m not joking, it took two days to make.
“It was probably at least 14-inches tall and about 14-inches round. It was gigantic.”
Animatedly explaining the way in which the pie – described by Bradley as “the size of an Austin 1100” – was dissected for visual purposes, the remaining sections were then offered around the cast and crew.
“No one, but no one wanted that pie,” laughs Bradley. “So, I took the pie. I took the pie, brought it home and put it in my freezer.”
The series sees former Doctor Who star Peter Davison return as The Larkins’ local vicar, and a new arrival in the form of Reverend Candy (Maxim Ays) who immediately sets hearts a flutter – none more so than that of Pop’s daughter Primrose.
Bradley’s own offspring, son Barney Walsh is set to reprise his role as Pc Harness.
With Bradley noting the pair actually share very few scenes, the duo’s appearance comes off the back of the success of their ITV travel series Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad.
Having recently returned from filming in Guatemala, Bradley notes that he is “still trying to deal with the jetlag”.
Describing it as a show that sees Barney “trying to throw me off a mountain”, the actor’s fondness for the next generation of talent is clear to see.
As for whether he had any advice for actors entering the industry?
“Anyone who asks for any advice – what you should do, what you shouldn’t do – here’s the thing,” says Bradley.
“If you enjoy the job you do, you will never do a day’s work in your life. It’s as simple as that. It truly is.”
The Larkins returns to ITV on Sunday at 8pm