The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993) User Reviews (29)

Lovely show...

[mazunderscore · 9/10 · 31 May 2006]

There's something very endearing about The Darling Buds of May. The bright English country side coupled with bright and life filled characters made this show very heart warming and easy to watch. I remember watching it with great interest as an adolescent and it's something that's stayed with me into my adulthood.

For it's time, The Darling Buds of May was showing a different side of British society. Although the Larkins weren't nessicarilly "wealthy" they were happy and they were very supportive as family. It's a breath of fresh air to watch such characters and the situations they get into.

I recommend watching this show, it's heartfelt, touching, the characters are very real and the scenery is breath taking.

What can one possibly say but this is absolutely perfick.

[ygwerin1 · 8/10 · 9 November 2020]

Our family came across this show on the box some time back and both Nonie and I instantly took to it.

We both loved the notion of the country idyll though not on a farm as that really is a full time commitment, I don't mind farm animals but I don't want to tend them.

Nonie certainly loves horses though personally I can take them or leave them alone taking them at all in only small quantities.

I am not familiar with Kent or its countryside and i must admit that it certainly looks picturesque, at least what we get to see of it in the show.

I would definitely like to take a butchers at it to see for myself, making sure of taking my camera with me to endeavour to capture the scenery.

I have never read any of the books that this was based on so I have absolutely no notion whatsoever, just how much it manages to capture the essence of the stories.

It just occurred to me that in a sense its something of a shame that David Jason was cast as Pop Larkin, why? Well because he is just so closely associated certainly in mind with Del Boy Trotter, it would have been better if someone else had the role. Though for the life of me having throughly enjoyed, all of the shows episodes. And the almost innumerable time of viewing them, I can't imagine anyone else in the role.

We have a wonderful family cast in an ideal country paradise, though of course in reality it would be a hard working and full time life.

The entire cast with the possible exception of Philip Franks are most definitely well placed in their roles, such that they seem tailor made for the characters.

Why single out Philip Franks? Well he does seem something of a wet blanket, but then I suppose that is the entire point of his character. Cedric Charlton lands quite literally, into the Larkins lives as the proverbial fish out of water. No matter what pop says on the matter I can't help feeling that Cedric, is an altogether perfect name for this monumental stuffed shirt.

Good series but you can skip season 3

[hondacivicdx · 7/10 · 8 October 2014]

This was a good series but you can skip season three.

The writing really goes downhill steeply in the last season. They created a few meaningless story lines that went nowhere and it ends unsettled without proper closure.

I don't know why series do this - they start out great and then it's like they run out of money and can't budget for anything more and just quickly write an ending.

They don't bother taking into consideration the many hours seasoned watchers and fans have invested into the characters and how much they want to have some closure or a wrap up of major characters or themes from the show.

I think that anyone creating a series should follow through and have a proper ending.

So I recommend this series, but only the first two seasons.

Nice that you can watch it free on youtube.

Perfick joy

[whistlestop · 10/10 · 20 June 2006]

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.)

Faithful adaptation

[pmonether · 10/10 · 22 February 2005]

Big relief here that Bates's modern classic has not only survived its transition to the big screen but has actually been enhanced by it. It's difficult to find anything in this made-for-television adaptation that is at odds with the book of the same name. The characters are well cast, in particular David Jason as Pop Larkin and Pam Ferris as Ma, who live life with abandonment and cavalier disregard for society's expectations. The conversion of Charlie, a most challenging task in story and film, is accomplished with care and precision, Catherine Zeta Jones as Mariette providing the required enticement. This is a highly entertaining and deeply satisfying adaptation, and richly captures the life of post-war Britain. Perfick!

Perrrrfec!

[gandalf-25 · 19 January 1999]

If there was ever a television family that I would want to be a member of, the Larkin Clan would be it. Led by Pop Larkin (David Jason), a man of unquenchable good nature who does not believe in paying taxes but is more than generous with his money (which he seems to fall backward into), they make Kent seem like the modern day garden of eden. Half of the scenes in any particular episode involve either eating or food preparation. The family liquor cabinet resembles a shrine and plays "What do you do with a drunken sailor?" each time it is opened (a frequent event).

The luckiest character of all is the tax man who is sent to find out why Pop has never paid taxes and ends up never leaving. If you knew why, you'd probably be as jealous as I am. In the frequent words of Pop Larkin...Perrrrfec!

So endearing, funny and perfect!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 3 November 2009]

I will make a confession to start off with-: I haven't read any of the books, and I really would like to. Putting that aside, The Darling Buds of May is a perfect piece of escapism for a weekend evening. It is endearing. It is funny. And it is easy to like. I see it with my grandmother and she loves it too. Here, there is something for everybody of all ages, humour, charm, fun and maybe even nostalgia.

One definite plus is how the show is filmed. The camera work is so fluid and beautiful, and the lighting so bright and perfect. Those images of the English countryside gives a real sense of warmth and endearment to the proceedings, and the scenery in general is breath taking. The main theme is memorable and relaxing to the ears, and the accompanying themes are just as delightful for anybody who watches.

The humour in Darling Buds of May is just right. It is never overdone or underplayed-it is just right, and doesn't spoil the show's appeal at all. And the Larkin family! Where do I start? What wonderful, completely likable characters. While not wealthy, they are happy together and supportive of one another and that was a true delight to see. I will admit, I really wanted to be part of the Larkin family.

It isn't just the quality of the script that makes the show so much fun. It is also some truly priceless scenes like the cat fight at the strawberry picking and any other situation that the Larkins get into. They live in abandonment and are disregarded by society, yet all of them are such lovable characters, and some of the run ins with the secondary characters are just hilarious.

The acting is exceptional from all involved. I am a big fan of David Jason, who has proved himself a talented, funny and versatile actor. He is a sheer delight here as Pop, a character that makes a dull day enormously satisfying just like that. I love Pam Ferris too, and she gives yet another strong performance as Ma. Then you have Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta Jones at her loveliest, and Phillip Franks as Charlie, whose conversion is taken with unusual care and precision.

Overall, at 17 I adore the Darling Buds of May. It is perfect for anybody. It is so easy to like, and really relaxing to watch, as well as richly detailing post-war Britain. This is in no way a criticism, but if anything I do wish the show lasted longer. It is perfect entertainment for a dull day or a free weekend evening. Nothing else really to say, other than a must-watch! 10/10 Bethany Cox

If only there was more

[patlightfoot · 10/10 · 17 December 2008]

Just viewed the DVDs. If ever one wants to see a series that makes one feel good at the end, hire these.

I wish I could own the series.

Catherine Zita Jones is absolutely one of the most beautiful British actresses out of UK, and also a good actress also.

I loved the context of the series. And Pop and Mum were great, never got married etc., and Mum a little heavy after giving birth to what 'seven kids' was a great cook etc.

I challenge anyone who watches this series not to feel hungry watching them all enjoy eating, even if they have to kill the goose etc.

A great British produced series, wish there were more!

Quoth the taxman: "He never could recapture that first fine careless rapture..."

[The_late_Buddy_Ryan · 7/10 · 14 April 2019]

My mother was a big fan of the H.E. Bates stories this series was based on and we loved "Love for Lydia," so this one seemed like a sureshot when it turned up on the Acorn TV playlist. The title story introduces us to Pop Larkin, an affable scrap dealer who's a bit like a more prosperous, rural version of Alfred Doolittle in "My Fair Lady," and his rumbustious family. When the tax inspector calls, Pop, a lifelong non-filer, invites the young man in for a couple of drinks, and one thing leads to another....

These first two episodes are totally charming; Pam Ferris ("Rosemary and Thyme") is the perfect earthy, beer-drinking consort for Pop, and the young Catherine Zeta Jones, as the Larkins' nubile daughter, is enough to make the proverbial bulldog break his chain (or, in this case, persuade a tax inspector to forfeit his civil service pension).

The second story, "When the Green Woods Laugh," is a bit of a letdown. The premise that the gnomelike Pop Larkin might be catnip to the stylish middle-aged women of the district (including Celia Imrie, Pamela Adlon's mother on "Better Things") seems laughable, but not in a good way, and the plot creaks pretty badly: After Pop diddles the local magistrate out of £10,000 in a real estate scam, it's just a matter of time before he's brought up before the bench, on a charge of indecent assault (don't ask...!).

Next comes a shambolic courtroom scene that's mildly entertaining, which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the series--your standard English cozy that never regains the heights achieved by "Darling Buds." After S2E2, the stories weren't even written by HEB himself, so the remaining eps are mainly recommended to Catherine Zeta Jones completists... Ten stars for the first two episodes, seven for the rest.

It doesn't get much better!

[bob_garbett · 10/10 · 5 January 2014]

I purchased the whole series "The Darling Buds of May" a few years ago and then watched the whole series within a few days. I grew up in the UK in the early sixties and this series reminded me so much of what life was like in England when I was growing up.

It is the best and purest form of escapism it fills one with a sense of longing for how life once was. The scenery, the lifestyle, the family and of course the farm are just "perfec" my favorite episode is the one called "Christmas is coming" (series 1 episode 7).

Even now, years later, I still find myself humming the opening theme song. It is one of the best feel good series that I have ever seen and the characters are so well played.

If you haven't seen the series do yourself a very big favour and go out and buy, borrow or steal it and then sit back and be prepared to be taken back to a time, long before laptops, iPhones, mobile phones and emails, where life was simple and almost idyllic.

Very nice and wonderful show

[scottkoue · 10/10 · 22 September 2019]

The review by "anonymous_00713" really missed the boat. It's understandable like people who really like a movie then read the book it was based on and don't like the book! The thing is they are two totally different creatures. You can only fit a short story into a feature film length so a novel will get very condensed as a movie or only a small section of the novel will be made into the film.

The series DBM is very accurate to the book, the movie he is referring to is "the Mating Game" and it's a very american 50's type of film. It took inspiration and not much else from the original story. It even changes most of the children's names. So to clear up some things he points out that are kind of understandable for an american (I am one also). The US has paid income taxes since Prohibition. It was part of the trade because before that liquor taxes paid most of the federal budget. England on the other hand only paid income taxes starting after WWII. He doesn't want to pay taxes because he doesn't want to and has never really had to. That of course would make no sense in the US in the 50's IF the reviewer had actually paid attention to the show he would know this because it is explained. His second point also points out that he didn't pay attention because the daughter is NOT pregnant, she just thinks she might be. AND this was a british TV show and "family fair" in uptight USA is not the same as "family fair" in the UK. The big difference is that in the US showing someone rip a body to shreds with a weapon is "family fair" and any hint of sexuality is not and in the UK it is pretty much the exact opposite.

Don't mean this to be a review of a review but that "review" was SO misleading.

This show is very good with outstanding acting and great writing. If you are extremely prudish you might find the less than puritan view of life love and sexuality might offend your sensibilities. For the rest of us this is way tamer than many shows now broadcast in the US.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMENDED

Awful

[scott_fraser_morrison · 1/10 · 9 February 2024]

This was awful. The misery of this on a Sunday evening still haunts me to this day. Utter misery. I cannot believe that anyone ever wanted to watch this. Presumably it was only watched because there was a miserable four channels so there was nothing else to watch. "Gentle" comedy it was not. It was just Derek Jason going "perfick" and then worrying about a cow. Hopefully this will never grace the TV schedules again, although apparently it was redone as "The Larkins" for which the mind boggles. Please no, no more stuff like this. British TV at its worst. There was no "golden age" of British TV in the 90s.

The first two episodes are a fantastic love story based on the first book.

[robertduncanmartin · 31 December 2008]

This is a reply to Annoymous-007 who considered the film better than the TV Series. Does this person know that the the film relocated the original setting from Kent to the United States of America. The TV Series was based on the actual books and filmed where they were set. Annonymous-007 has missed the point - the theme of novels is the rejection of control and the concept of Romanticism and the free individual. That is why HE Bates alluded to the idea of Marriette being pregnant at the start of the first story (which she is not). There is a great connection to Jane Austen and the Brontes in the opening episodes, based on the first book: this is indeed a love story worthy of mention alongside Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.

Classic

[ronbell-23984 · 10/10 · 26 April 2020]

Great show. It was aired early Sunday evenings, a perfect easy to watch entertaining family show.

A classic

[pokey1986tewks · 9/10 · 12 January 2018]

One of those tv programs that you will always see repeated on tv over and over again but will always watch.

Beautiful family viewing. Worth the watch!

[Multifocus · 9/10 · 11 January 2023]

I was so impressed with this series, it is funny, interesting, and rather contemporary despite the fact the story takes place in 1959+. The characters are engaging and the stories are wonderful without being mush. The wardrobe for Catherine Zeta-Jones is fashionable today! The dad reminds me of Bilbo Baggins, getting himself in all sorts of scraps, and is just as adorable. The great revelation for me was Catherine Zeta-Jones! She contributes wonderfully to the series. What a marvellous actress she is. She carries the role of beautiful elder daughter with equal charm, sharp business savvy and a touch of glamour too- not easy to pull off. And she succeeds! I will go back and view all her movies. Love her. She is terribly underrated (only 1 Oscar?). Her beauty and talent can be likened to a British Claudia Cardinale.

Great TV comedy

[Fudge-3 · 8/10 · 25 October 2018]

The tax man is after the Larkins while the Larkins' daughter is after the tax man - but for very different reasons.

Great feel-good series from the early nineties. David Jason and Pam Ferris make a great pair and Catherine Zeta Jones was at her most gorgeous. It goes a bit down-hill after series two.

A US based movie was loosely based on the same material: The Mating Game (1959)

''Perfick!''

[Rabical-91 · 10/10 · 17 May 2023]

In recent years, Bradley Walsh took on the lead role of Pop Larkin in a remake of 'The Darling Buds Of May' inaptly titled 'The Larkins'. I couldn't get past the first episode. It was appaling. I could not for the life of me fathom why ITV saw fit to reboot a classic which was nigh on, to quote the great man Pop Larkin himself, perfick! Recently, I re-watched the entire series of the original and I am pleased to say I enjoyed every minute of it.

Based on the novel by H. E. Bates, 'The Darling Buds Of May' is all about the life of the Larkin family. Sidney Charles Larkin, known to all and sundry as Pop, is a farmer who somehow has managed to avoid paying tax or national insurance throughout his entire life. His justification for dodging his dues being that he never has money in his hands long enough. His common law wife is Flo Parker, known affectionately as Ma, with whom he has seven children with. One day, a young man by the name of Cedric Charlton, who works as a clerk at the Inland Revenue arrives on the farm to get Pop to fill in his tax forms.

Quickly, Cedric, later to be nicknamed Charley, becomes attracted to the Larkins' eldest daughter Mariette, who in turns falls for him. It is from then, Charley becomes disillusioned with his life as a tax clerk and decides to quit his job and live his life on the farm. Charley and Mariette eventually get married and later open up a brewery together.

It is impossible to deliver an objective review on this wonderful show. Every episode is a delight. David Jason is excellent as the proud patriarch that was Pop, portraying the character with the right degree of joviality and earnestness. He also has an excellent chemistry with the underrated Pam Ferris, who portrayed Ma as a character who was like everyone's favourite auntie. Phillip Franks also was wonderful and did not receive the credit I felt he deserved as the wet behind the ears Charley. I am not a fan of Catherine Zeta Jones but her performance as Mariette is the best of anything she has done before or since.

Also impressive in the cast were Rachel Bell as local spinster Edith Pilchester and Moray Watson as retired Brigadier.

'The Darling Buds Of May' was a charming feel good programme which can be enjoyed by people of all ages. No one gets hurt, the sun is always shining and nothing seems to get the Larkin family down. Jason may well always be remembered chiefly as Del Boy from 'Only Fools & Horses' but Pop Larkin runs a close second as one of his all time greatest characters.

A special mention must be made of the beautiful theme tune ( composed by Pip Burley ) which encapsulates the warm nature of the show tremendously well.

wonderful series, but series 3 is missing something

[stuwright05 · 9/10 · 8 January 2024]

I do love this show I've watched it a few times, the first series is so charming with Charlie and Mariette, finding love and charlie gets a wonderful family and has a lot of fun, it works so well. If you hav'n t seen it before you are in for a treat.

I'm a bit sad that the actors are mostly old now, I did actually see Philip franks on a london tube one time many years ago, not something I'd forget ! I find myself thinking about how far Catherine Zeta Jones went after this show, with many films under her belt and marrying Michael Douglas.

But the last series always feels a bit empty, which is a shame.

A real feel good Show, Making me wish I lived there.

[sajchilds · 24 August 2004]

this would have to be my all time favorite show. I paid a fortune to buy the DVD'S and have them shipped to Australia. It's a show that I can watch over and over again and never tire of. I just want to pack up and immigrate to England and Kent. I find it almost hard to believe that this was a made for television family. It must truly reflect a time when things were much simpler. If I could I would transport myself right back there with the Larkin's and I to would never leave. Pam Ferris and David Jason are so convincing as MA and Pa Larkin, that I try to bring some of that into my own children's lives. A show that certainly restores my appetite and good faith ion the world.

How to live your life...

[julianbevans · 10/10 · 9 January 2024]

Be thankful for life. Love every minute. Eat, drink and be merry. Be sad when necessary, but move on and find life again. Have a big heart. Share. Love the sun and rain in equal measure. See life your own way. Find what it is that makes you tick, makes your heart race. These H. E. Bates characters are timeless in the way that they approach life, yet very much reminiscent of an age where smartphones and computers are a far off notion. Feelgood, warm, real, aspirational and instructive... yet funny, cheeky, 'real' and always capable of making one think very differently. An absolute classic, and by far the very best versions of bates' books ever filmed. David Jason is simply wonderful... as are Pam Ferris, Philip Franks, Catherine Zeta Jones and everyone else in it. Stand on your doorstep, look at the rain. Listen to it fall, and think of all that has gone before it, and is yet to come... Wonderful television. 10 stars!

Good stuff

[welshNick · 7 May 2005]

A very good piece of escapism that was scheduled for Sunday nights on ITV. Charley is a tax inspector who is sent to Kent to seek out Pop Larkin owing to the fact he hasn't payed any tax in years. Once he gets there he becomes totally carried away with the idyllic lifestyle they all lead. Added to this, he falls in love with the stunningly beautiful Catherine Zeta Jones (Wales' Finest !!!) and they eventually get married. I would class this as very good family viewing with something for everyone ..... feelgood stories, Catherine Zeta Jones for the male viewer and another polished performance from David Jason. You could call it a UK version of the Waltons though this is much much better. By the way, watch out the girly cat fight at the strawberry picking, you see Wales' finest wearing only a bra - what a treat !!!!

A timeless idyll

[mmsbk · 28 February 2012]

I just caught some re-runs of the on ABC iviews of this and I'm struck by how completely watchable it still is. Though I have lived for many years in Australia, I'm English country born and bred and the evocation of the countryside is just wonderful ( yes, I know it's not really like DBOM all the time )

Casting is, as others have said, utterly spot on and the ludicrous anonymous 007 who preferred an American film version - which, incredibly , relocated this quintessentially English scene TO America, is simply to be ignored. As, I would think, should be the film . I wonder what HE Bates would have thought.

If you can get the books, get any and all, HE Bates was a great writer poetic, funny and profound. Not unlike Thomas Hardy only with a lighter touch.

Look closely

[Sulla-2 · 10 September 2019]

You will see that Pa Larkin is Del Boy with whiskers and a a large family

Some nice storiee though

Catherine

[JennBlack · 22 January 2005]

The Darling Buds of May is an adorable show, with Catherine as adorable as ever! It's a very funny (British) comedy, with (British) type humor! You will get a kick out of our young Catherine in this then up to date comedy show!! I love it! Catherine really knows how to steal a show, or movie, and everything. She is quite the actor for your days, and should be applauded always. I own about half her movies, and in the making of buying the rest of them. The Darling Buds of May is a great series (of only 12 episodes) to get, and it lays on my movie shelf now! Another great movie of hers would be The Phantom, which is a comedy, and sort of dorky, but very entertaining and very amusing!! Another great one of Caty's