Filming for the ITV remake of The Darling Buds of May has been taking place in Margate today (June 29).
The series, called The Larkins, is to be a six part comedy drama with Bradley Walsh taking lead role as Pop Larkin and Joanna Scanlon as his wife Ma. The pair were captured on camera arriving at The Walpole Bay hotel in Cliftonville today by resident Peter Blem and Bradley Walsh gave resident Tamara Phoenix a big grin as she filmed him.
The original series starred David Jason as Pop, Pam Ferris as Ma and was the breakthrough for Catherine Zeta-Jones who played eldest daughter Mariette.
It was broadcast between 1991 and 1993.
Based on a 1958 novel by H E Bates the 1950s set tale follows the lives of Pop, Ma and their six children in rural England.
Other stars for The Larkins remake include Bradley Walsh’s son Barney Walsh as the village policeman PC Harness.
Today’s filming has been taking place at the Walpole Bay Hotel which has been a filming hotspot over the years, hosting movie and music shoots, adverts and more.
It has been used as a back drop for The Republican video for “Try Everything” featured on Top of the Pops and MTV. It was transformed to a ‘Scottish tenement building’ in a film by Matt Coleshaw, a Gentlemen’s Club for an Aston Martin trade advertisement, the “Dastardly Deed” Hotel location in “Mack & Mabel” for the Marlowe Theatre, the secret venue for “Star of the Night” with Jane MacDonald, BBC2 “One Foot in the Past.”
Paloma Faith stayed as a guest while shooting a music video last year and, also last year, actress and producer Sadie Frost, son Raff Law, Libertines member Carl Barat, Vikings actor Jack McEvoy and writer/musician Johnny Cooke filmed short movie Running Man at the venue.
House of Fraser also filmed at the site, with owner Jane Bishop – or rather her magnificently Bee-hived hair – taking a role in the shoot and the hotel and the Bishops featured in The Hotel Inspector with Alex Polizzi and on antiques programme Salvage Hunter.
Last weekend also saw film crews in Ramsgate shooting for Apple TV. The East Pier was closed off for the shoot which involved a new look for the Royal Harbour Brasserie which was sporting a sign with the name ‘Annick’s.’
