Lark Rise To Candleford – Series 4 – A newcomer to Candleford
Starts Sunday 9 January 2011
8.00-9.00pm BBC ONE and BBC HD
Lark Rise To Candleford, Bill Gallagher’s adaptation of Flora Thompson’s charming memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood, is the perfect winter warmer for the New Year on BBC One.
The drama sees the welcome return of favourite characters including Julia Sawalha as post mistress Dorcas Lane; Olivia Hallinan as Laura Timmins, her assistant in the Post Office; Claudie Blakley as Laura’s mother, Emma; Ben Aldridge as handsome journalist and Laura’s sweetheart Daniel Parish; John Dagleish as Alf Arless; and Ruby Bentall as Minnie. Victoria Hamilton is Ruby Pratt, back to help run the fashionable clothes stores in Candleford with her sister Pearl, played by Matilda Ziegler.
Joining the much-loved cast for the fourth series is Richard Harrington (Holby Blue, Collision), who plays Gabriel Cochrane, the handsome and once-wealthy owner of a large iron foundry. Here, Richard tells us about his character and writer and executive producer Bill Gallagher explains how Gabriel fits into the drama. “He is a very interesting character. He comes to Candleford down on his luck, having suffered a tragic loss in his life with the death of his wife, which culminated in him losing his family business,” says Richard.
“Prior to his wife’s death, he was offered a loan by the bank to expand. He didn’t really want the loan but went along with it because his business may have been under threat if he hadn’t. Then his adored wife became desperately ill, and instead of expanding the business, he did what his heart told him to do and made sure that the last months of her life were spent seeing and doing as much as she could.” Read the rest of this entry »
Lark Rise To Candleford is Back, Series 4 – Episode 1
Sunday 9 January 2011
8.00-9.00pm BBC ONE and BBC HD
BBC One’s popular winter-warmer Lark Rise To Candleford returns for a fourth series, teeming with its usual wit, intrigue and romance. Its vividly drawn, much-loved characters continue to delight and entertain.
The series opens with the arrival of Gabriel Cochrane, played by Richard Harrington, and sees the return of Dawn French’s character, Caroline Arless, later in the run.
Gabriel is the handsome and once-wealthy owner of a large iron foundry. But after the bankruptcy of his business and the death of his new wife, Gabriel finds himself both penniless and homeless. Moved by his plight, Dorcas offers him a job as a blacksmith, and a room above the forge. But both she and Gabriel know that the solution is only temporary. 
Gabriel is determined to regain his wealth and position and bring down the banker, Steerforth, who he believes acted illegally and unethically in repossessing his home and business.
Over in Lark Rise, Emma is thrilled to receive a postal order from Robert, who is away working in Oxford. The hard-earned money will settle her many unpaid bills. She sends Edmund to Candleford to cash the postal order, and although it is a breach of procedure, Dorcas agrees to allow him to collect the money in place of Emma. That night, on his way home to Lark Rise, Edmund is robbed and arrives home to deliver the devastating news that all the money is gone. How will Emma manage with five mouths to feed and no money coming in? And when she discovers the truth behind the robbery, she is faced with an agonising dilemma.
Pearl Pratt, meanwhile, is delighted to have her beloved sister Ruby back home. Her romance with the Pontefract undertaker is apparently over – Ruby dissolves into tears at the mere mention of his name, but will not say what has happened. While Ruby has been away, Daniel has settled in nicely at the Pratts, and Pearl is spoiling him rotten with steam puddings and starched collars. Ruby resents being usurped by Daniel, but Pearl is oblivious and lavishes all her attention on him. Read the rest of this entry »
What to watch while waiting for season 4?
This Autumn ITV 1 are showing
Sunday 26 September
9:00pm – 10:30pm
ITV1
tweeted
Confirmed: @‘s brand new seven-part period costume drama Downton Abbey starts Sunday 26 September at 9pm..
And in the
Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville lead an all-star cast in this drama written by Julian Fellowes about the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them in an Edwardian country house. In 1912. RMS Titanic has gone down, taking with it Lord Grantham’s heir, James Crawley, and his son, Patrick. So who is the new heir? Britain is apparently placid but teetering on the brink of the First World War, and also looming is the Jazz Age when every certainty will be ripped to shreds.
Free up your Sunday evenings!!
Exhibition marks Gaskell bicentenary
A special exhibition featuring one of the Victorian era’s best loved writers is being launched tomorrow evening (14 July) at The University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of her birth.
Elizabeth Gaskell authored six novels, two novellas, numerous articles, short stories, and an acclaimed biography of her friend Charlotte Brontë.
Her most famous novel Cranford famously depicts life in Knutsford, Cheshire where she grew up, and was adapted into two BBC drama series.
The exhibition features highlights from the Library’s world renowned collections including unpublished personal correspondence – on display to the public for the first time.
Other items, generously loaned by Gaskell’s descendants and a Gaskell archivist include her passport, prayer book, a teapot and other personal memorabilia.
Sarah Prince, great great great granddaughter of Gaskell, will officially open the exhibition and there will also be contributions from actor Lesley Manville, who appeared in BBC Read the rest of this entry »
Lark Rise To Candleford – USA Editions
Lark Rise to Candleford Series 4 Confirmed!
One to make this a happy Friday. According to
The BBC has ordered a fourth season of its period drama Lark Rise to Candleford which stars Julia Sawalha, Olivia Hallinan and Linda Bassett. The news that a fourth season of the drama, based on the series of books by Flora Thompson, was confirmed on BBC One’s rural magazine programme Countryfile last night.
Series 4 of Lark Rise to Candleford?
With the BBC making cuts to it’s period output. Will we ever see a Series 4?
Rumours say it will be only 6 episodes, but we don’t know if even that is certain.
Do you know anything? Should they quit on a high?
Any ideas what they should have in the next series, apart from Alf’s Wedding?
Lark Rise To Candleford – Series 3 – Episode 12
The railway has arrived in Inglestone and, with it, the unsettling news that the post office there is to become the main sorting office for the area, as the latest series of the period drama based on Flora Thompson’s novel comes to an end. Mr Blakestone, the Inglestone postmaster, has long held a grudge against Dorcas, and she fears he may use his new power to undermine her.
Meanwhile, Fisher Bloom has admitted to Daniel that he aims to win Laura back. Laura is confused by her feelings. She loves Daniel, but his apparent ambivalence towards her leads her to question their relationship, and Fisher’s romantic pursuit is beginning to have an effect.
Dorcas invites Blakestone to tea to try to restore good relations, but the postmaster sends Fisher in his place with an ultimatum – sell her post office to Blakestone and the staff will keep their jobs; or he will starve her business by sending mail out directly from Inglestone. Faced with the prospect of her staff losing their positions, Dorcas feels she has no choice but to sell up, even if it means denying Sydney his dream of being postmaster one day. However, when Thomas, Laura and Minnie learn what she is planning, they urge her to resist Blakestone’s blackmail and find a way to fight him.
Daniel is heartbroken at the thought of losing Laura, so finds a distraction in mounting a campaign to help Dorcas. In this, he and Laura have a common cause. As she watches Daniel rallying support in Lark Rise to save the post office, she finds his passion for the cause intoxicating, and realises that she still has strong feelings for him. Fisher may be able to sweep her off her feet with romantic words, but she finally understands that this kind of youthful infatuation is fleeting, and that her love for Daniel is made of deeper, longer-lasting stuff.
Buoyed up by the support of her friends and neighbours, Dorcas comes up with an ingenious plan to outwit Blakestone. However, will she succeed in saving the post office, and will a very important visitor be her saviour?
Dorcas is played by Julia Sawalha, Fisher Bloom by Matthew McNulty, Daniel by Ben Aldridge, Laura by Olivia Hallinan, Sydney by Edward Darnell-Hayes, Thomas by Mark Heap and Minnie by Ruby Bentall.
Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC’s High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.
Lark Rise To Candleford – Series 3 – Episode 11
Mischief Night is approaching, when the residents of Lark Rise and Candleford play tricks on their neighbours under cover of darkness, as the period drama based on Flora Thompson’s novel continues. Laura, however, is in no mood for silly pranks – Fisher Bloom has returned and it has thrown her feelings for Daniel into confusion.
Pearl, too, is unsettled by Fisher’s return. She is fond of Daniel and doesn’t want to see him hurt. So she is horrified when she hears that Daniel has befriended Fisher – unaware of his history with Laura – and convinced him to stay in Candleford to fix his newspaper printing press.
When Laura confesses to Daniel her past relationship with Fisher, he takes it well, but it quickly becomes clear that, for all her protestations, Laura still has feelings for Fisher and Daniel has a rival for her affections.
Dorcas, meanwhile, is excitedly planning a Mischief Night trick on Pearl, but Fisher has news which threatens to cast a shadow over her fun. While working on the new station clock at neighbouring Inglestone, he has heard of possible changes to the postal service in the area – which could spell trouble for the Candleford Post Office. Dorcas is determined not to let it ruin her evening, but the news worries her, nonetheless.
Over in Lark Rise, Alf and Edmund have heard about Fisher’s return. Protective of Laura’s feelings, and suspicious of Fisher’s motives, they hatch a Mischief Night plan to try to make him leave town. Pearl also has a trick up her sleeve, designed to convince Fisher that all hopes of romance with Laura are futile. But their efforts have the opposite effect on Fisher. They all try a bit too hard to convince him of Laura’s love for Daniel, and it makes him believe he must still have a chance with her.
As the locals dart about playing Mischief Night pranks on each other, Fisher notices the Candleford clock has stopped and can’t resist going to the clock tower to investigate. Laura, too, is drawn to the clock tower and, when she and Fisher meet, the atmosphere of Mischief Night works its magic. They talk about old times and dance. Laura is swept up in Fisher’s romantic words, but reality and guilt soon hit her – she remembers how Fisher hurt her in the past and how she now feels about Daniel. She runs off, but the damage is done. Daniel has seen her go into the clock tower and knows she has gone there to see Fisher. He stopped the clock to see what she would do and she has failed the test. Has he lost Laura for ever?
Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC’s High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.
Lark Rise To Candleford – Series 3 – Episode 10
When the local Lark Rise gossip, Mrs Mullins, discovers her daughter, Emily, is pregnant, she jumps to the conclusion that Daniel is the father.
Everyone rallies round to defend Daniel, even Robert and Emma, refusing to believe Mrs Mullins’s accusations. Laura, too, is supportive and pleads with Emily to reveal the true identity of her baby’s father. But Emily seems determined to keep the truth to herself, despite it fuelling the gossip about Daniel. Daniel is heartened by Laura’s faith in him but, when she receives a mysterious letter, Laura becomes pre-occupied and distant, and he wonders if she has begun to doubt him.
Meanwhile, at the post office, Dorcas is handing out bonuses to her staff. Minnie is delighted by her windfall and decides to offer the money to Alf, believing it will help to relieve his burdens. Instead, he angrily refuses her offer, his pride hurt. Later he wonders at the intensity of his reaction.
Mrs Mullins is telling anyone who will listen that Daniel is the baby’s father, and when he starts to behave suspiciously and is seen giving money to Emily in the newspaper office at night, even Dorcas starts to wonder if Daniel may indeed have a charge to answer. When she sees a telegram to Emily’s wealthy employers, confirming travel arrangements for their son, she goes to see Emily, who confirms her suspicions that Master Raymond is the father.
Despite Dorcas’s efforts to persuade Emily to tell her mother the truth, she is still scared of what her reaction will be. Mrs Mullins is furious at Dorcas’s interference, and when she finds Emily in possession of a large sum of money, she assumes it has come from her. When Dorcas denies it and points out the most likely source, Mrs Mullins finally realises her mistake about the identity of the baby’s father. With Queenie’s help, Emily at last finds the courage to explain the whole story to her mother – that she had hopes of Master Raymond marrying her, and had used Daniel as a go-between.
After a public apology from Mrs Mullins, Daniel’s reputation is restored in Candleford, but Laura is still acting strangely. When Dorcas questions her, she reveals that the letter she has received is from her former love, Fisher Bloom. He is writing with the news that he is returning and it has shaken Laura to the core.
Daniel is played by Ben Aldridge, Robert by Brendan Coyle, Emma by Claudie Blakley, Laura by Olivia Hallinan, Dorcas by Julia Sawalha, Minnie by Ruby Bentall and Alf by John Dagleish.