ITV axes major new show after actress walks away following fall out with co-star
ITV has axed its Darling Buds of May spin-off The Larkins after one if its top stars quit the programme.
Sabrina Bartlett, who starred as Mariette Larkin, lodged a formal complaint against co-star Tok Stephen, but it wasn’t upheld and left show bosses in a difficult situation, according to the Mail.
It was previously reported that Sabrina was unhappy with Tok using a picture of her for his WhatsApp profile.
A source said: “What happened was really sad for everyone involved in the show. Sabrina was a much loved and popular member of the cast.
“It left ITV with a massive quandary – they wanted both of their stars but that simply couldn’t be the case.
Leading man Bradley Walsh, who plays Pop Larkin, is reportedly upset about the situation having expected the drama to return for a third series.
The source added that while it was “unfair” on the rest of the cast, bosses were desperate not to be “tarnished” by the incident.
Sabrina, 31, left the show after a successful first series and was replaced by Joelle Rae, 24.
Tok returned as the Larkins‘ lodger Cedric ‘Charley’ Charlton for the second series but had less screen time while the complaint against him was investigated.
In December, we reported that the writing was on the wall for the show after ratings slumped.
The season’s opener was watched by 2.9million people — compared with 4.8million for the first episode of the first series in 2021.
A source said: “The Larkins is going to be dropped in the new year — the writing is on the wall.
“The ratings for series two were disappointingly low and cast disagreements on set have been an ongoing problem for the production team.
“Sabrina’s issue with Tok and her decision to leave, was a massive problem for the bosses. But there have also been other disagreements.”
The original Darling Buds of May, based on HE Bates’ novels, aired from 1991 to 1993 on ITV and launched the career of Catherine Zeta Jones.
The channel’s much-anticipated reboot drew a peak of 5.1million viewers during its first episode.