Sydney’s (Edward Darnell-Hayes) day of fun turns sour

It’s harvest time and, when Alf is crowned “king of the mowers”, he vows to bring in the harvest in record time, as the third series of the period drama based on the novels by Flora Thompson continues.

Every man, woman and child in the hamlet is employed cutting the wheat and collecting the “leazings”, or leftover wheat, which will feed them through the winter. Dorcas decides a day of fun with the Lark Rise children at the harvest is just what her serious little boy, Sydney, needs.

Alf sets his workers off at a cracking pace and Dorcas is delighted to see Sydney making mischief with Archie Arless. When Dorcas takes Sydney home, he is glowing after his day in the sun with his new friends.

Daniel pays a surprise visit to Candleford. Despite his passionate feelings for Laura, he has come to announce that he has taken a new job in Cambridge. The distance is too great for regular visits and Laura is left perplexed and disappointed at Daniel’s sudden change of heart.

The following morning, Dorcas goes to wake Sydney and finds him dangerously ill with measles. She puts the Post Office into quarantine and devotes herself to nursing Sydney, terrified that her beloved boy will be taken away. Over in Lark Rise, Frank and Annie Timmins are also sick, and before long most of the children in the hamlet are infected. Daniel is leaving Candleford in a coach when he comes across Sally Arless struggling to carry her poorly brother, Archie, home. Daniel steps in to help and, putting thoughts of leaving to one side, he offers his support to the Lark Risers as they struggle to deal with a measles epidemic.

With nearly all the children sick and the women occupied in nursing them, the hamlet faces a grave problem. With too few people in the fields bringing in the wheat, they won’t have enough food to prevent starvation in the winter. But Robert refuses to allow the epidemic to beat them and, in a rousing speech to the hamlet folk, he persuades them of a scheme which just might avert disaster. The children will be nursed together in Queenie’s cottage, while those who can work in the fields will pool their wheat among all the families in the hamlet.

But Daniel quickly realises that there are simply not enough people to go round, and he rushes off to Candleford with an idea. In a speech which echoes Robert’s in Lark Rise, Daniel makes a heartfelt appeal to the people of Candleford to help out their neighbours in Lark Rise. Laura looks on with pride. But will the Candleford gentlefolk rise to the challenge?

The epidemic finally passes, but it leaves the two communities changed for ever.

John Dagleish plays Alf, Julia Sawalha plays Dorcas, Edward Darnell-Hayes plays Sydney, Harry Miles plays Archie Arless, Ben Aldridge plays Daniel, Olivia Hallinan plays Laura, Sophie Miles plays Sally Arless, Brendan Coyle plays Robert and Linda Bassett plays Queenie.

Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC’s High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.

When Alf secures a “man’s wage” from the farmer, enabling him and his siblings to move back into the family cottage, he couldn’t be prouder, and throws a party to celebrate. Laura intercepts a letter addressed to Alf from prison – fearing it may contain bad news from his ma, she decides to delay its delivery so his special day isn’t spoiled. As the beer and the merriment flow, Alf sings a song he learnt from a traveller. Its haunting words have a profound affect on his guests.

For Edmund, the song means freedom. He tells his parents he wants to leave school and work on the land. Emma is devastated – she always wanted more for Edmund, and when she discovers he has passed his school exams with top marks, it only fuels her determination to change his mind. But when she confronts Edmund in the Wagon and Horses, her argument against a career which she thinks is beneath him only makes him dig his heels in further, offending Alf and his fellow drinkers in the process. Edmund storms off to lodge with Queenie, where he feels he will be treated as a grown up.

Over in Candleford, the words from Alf’s song have got Dorcas thinking about love and family. She decides that Minnie is destined to one day be a wife and mother, and sets about giving her the necessary skills, sending her to Emma to learn baking and to the Pratts for sewing lessons. One day, a special delivery arrives from Caroline in prison – the “little something” she had promised Alf in her letter turns out to be his baby sister, Patience. When Minnie takes delivery of the baby, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to hone her maternal skills (and relieve Alf of an extra burden) and recruits Sydney to help her look after the infant in secret. The song has also cast its spell elsewhere in Candleford – Pearl and Ruby are at war over how to economise; while Thomas and Margaret have their first marital tiff.

Emma, meanwhile, is at loggerheads with Robert over her handling of the Edmund situation; Edmund is refusing to back down; and Alf is still smarting over Emma’s insult. Twister’s misguided efforts to bring harmony back to the hamlet only make matters worse, so it falls to Alf to set things right. He writes a new final verse to the song, and peace is finally restored. But what will Alf’s reaction be when he discovers he has yet another mouth to feed?

John Dagleish plays Alf, Olivia Hallinan plays Laura, Thomas Rhys Jones plays Edmund, Claudie Blakley plays Emma, Linda Bassett plays Queenie, Julia Sawalha plays Dorcas, Ruby Bentall plays Minnie, Matilda Ziegler plays Pearl, Victoria Hamilton plays Ruby, Mark Heap plays Thomas, Sandy McDade plays Margaret, Brendan Coyle plays Robert and Karl Johnson plays Twister.

Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC’s High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.

Sunday 17 January
8.00-9.00pm BBC ONE

Daniel Parish returns to Candleford to try to win back Laura’s affections, as the series based on the novels by Flora Thompson, and adapted by Bill Gallagher, continues.

The first person he encounters is Robert, who challenges him to make amends with the people he has offended. Daniel promises not to see Laura until he has completed his task.

Thomas, meanwhile, can barely contain his excitement at the news that the Bishop is coming to Candleford to consecrate the new church font. But when Queenie notices a local tree starting to “bleed”, and the hamlet becomes rife with talk of witchcraft, Thomas is horrified – it could ruin the Bishop’s visit.

The tree seems to cast a spell over the whole community as everyone is starting to behave strangely. Twister is hearing voices; Robert is too unsettled to work; even the ever-poised Dorcas loses her composure, confusing Pearl Pratt for her sister Ruby, and letting out the shocking secrets each one has been concealing from the other.

With the Bishop due to arrive any day, Thomas employs increasingly desperate measures to try to restore order. When he discovers that Queenie intends to hold a pagan ritual to set free the spirit in the witch tree, he decides that he must put an end to this superstitious nonsense once and for all.

Daniel’s honest efforts to win the forgiveness of the community, meanwhile, are beginning to work. Emma, though, is not so easily won over. She wants him to promise to leave Lark Rise for ever, but can he turn his back so easily on his deepening relationship with Laura?

Ben Aldridge plays Daniel Parish, Brendan Coyle plays Robert Timmins, Olivia Hallinan plays Laura Timmins, Mark Heap plays Thomas Brown, Linda Bassett plays Queenie Turrill, Karl Johnson plays Twister Turrill, Julia Sawalha plays Dorcas Lane, Matilda Ziegler plays Pearl Pratt, Victoria Hamilton plays Ruby Pratt and Claudie Blakley plays Emma Timmins.

Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC’s High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.

Love is in the air…