A Christmas special of ‘The Larkins’ is already being planned, even though the series is yet to air.
Bradley Walsh
The six-part ITV show - a reboot of hit 90s programme ‘The Darling Buds of May’ - stars 'The Chase' host Bradley Walsh as Pop Larkin, and bosses are already working on a festive episode ahead of the series debuting in the autumn.
A TV insider told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column said: “This is one of the year’s most anticipated dramas and a sign of how good they think the finished product is.
“Selecting a show to help boost ratings at the most critical time of the year isn’t a decision ITV would take lightly as it represents a huge investment.
“It’s also something of a risk as they don’t know what the audience reaction is to the reboot yet.”
The 'Darling Buds Of May' was shown from 1991 and 1993 and starred Catherine Zeta Jones as Mariette, the daughter of Ma and Pop Larkin, played by Pam Ferris and Sir David Jason.
'The Larkins' will see Joanna Scanalan playing Ma, while Sabrina Bartlett will take on the role Mariette.
Bradley recently admitted he plans to retire from TV "in a couple of years".
The 61-year-old presenter said: "You know what, in a couple of years time I won’t have to do any of it, I’ll be retired and that’ll be it."
And Bradley admitted that while he appears to be on 'The Chase' "all the time", he only spends 86 days recording episodes of the programme and its various spin-offs.
He said: "It seems like I’m on your screen all the time only because I cram everything in a certain area of the year.
"We make 210 'Chases', 16 'Celebrity Chases', 16 'Beat The Chasers'.
"It’s only actually 86 days recording."
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