The Darling Buds of May
The Darling Buds of May
The Larkin family lives in rural idyll in 1950s England. Father Larkin never pays his bills, but the big, sprightly family is never short of money. Father Larkin is always working on a new plan to provide the family with cash.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedJanuary 31, 2025
The Darling Buds of May was a smash hit when it first appeared on British television in 1991, and deservedly so. In case there are those who don't know what it's about, the series is a mini soap that follows the life of a large, warm and gregarious family - the Larkins - in rural Kent during the 1950s. This is by no means a filmic version of The Archers. Rather, it's a cheerful fantasy that requires the viewer to suspend belief more or less throughout (that said, immense pains have been taken to make the backdrop as authentic as possible, from the old farm implements to the 1950s cars).
The Larkin family spend dosh, eat gloriously gargantuan meals, and knock back the booze - bottles of bubbly included - as though there's no tomorrow. No-one gets liver problems, no one falls prey to diabetes, and no-one runs out of money. In other words, we are presented with of a kind of earthly Paradise (or Land of Cockaigne), and one well filled with high comedy and good simple jokes.