Yahoo News Lark Rise to Candleford cast – where are they now?
Lark Rise to Candleford was one of those laid-back Sunday night treats when it aired back in 2008 to 2011. Or perhaps it filled you with dread because that meant Monday morning was on the way.
It's been six years since the BBC One costume drama came to an end. It was adapted from Flora Thompson's trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels, set in the small Oxfordshire hamlet of Lark Rise and its wealthier neighbouring market town of Candleford at the end of the 19th century.
But what has the cast been up to since it ended after four series?
1. Julia Sawalha (Dorcas)
Playing Candleford's independent Post Mistress Dorcas for all four series, Julia was already a familiar face thanks to major roles in everything from Press Gang to Absolutely Fabulous to Pride & Prejudice to Chicken Run.
Since then, Julia has only featured in a handful of TV projects, the most prominent of which was the 2014 horror thriller Remember Me alongside Michael Palin. She also returned as the long-suffering Saffron in the Absolutely Fabulous movie last year.
2. Olivia Hallinan (Laura)
Olivia played lead character Laura, the girl from Lark Rise who arrives in Candleford to work with her mother's cousin Dorcas in episode one. The actress was already known for playing the lead role in the cult teen drama Sugar Rush from 2005 to 2006.
These two shows remain her biggest projects to date, and she has not featured in many on-screen projects since. Her most recent role was in the Jane Seymour movie Love by Design in 2014. She continues to appear in stage productions and radio plays. In 2013, she appeared in a Radio 4 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, and in 2014 she starred in Lotty's War in a UK tour.
3. Claudie Blakley (Emma)
After playing Laura's sister Emma in all four series of Lark Rise, her biggest TV role has been a regular part as Agatha in ITV's period drama Grantchester. She has also starred in episodes of Call the Midwife, Midsomer Murders and Silent Witness among other.
She has remained very busy in the world of theatre, including a stint as Lady Macbeth at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre in 2012.
4. Brendan Coyle (Robert)
Brendan appeared in the first three series as Robert Timmins, and a couple of years later he landed the biggest role of his career as dependable Mr Bates in ITV's Downton Abbey – a role he kept from 2010 to 2015.
He also featured in the 2015 TV crime drama Spotless, and the comedy series Starlings in 2012. More recently, he had a supporting role in the romantic tragedy Me Before You.
5. Mark Heap (Thomas)
Mark had already made a name for himself for his various madcap characters in comedies such as Spaced, Green Wing and Brass Eye.
Since the drama ended, he has stayed very busy. He has had regular roles in Spy, The Indian Doctor, Upstart Crow, Friday Night Dinner, Maigret and Benidorm.
6. Sandy McDade (Margaret)
After Lark Rise ended in 2011, Sandy has continued to star on stage and screen, including the movie adaptation of Jane Eyre, in episodes of Misfits and New Tricks, and as Sister Judith in several EastEnders episodes in 2015.
She has also remained very busy in the world of theatre, including a supporting role in the hugely acclaimed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
7. Dawn French (Caroline)
You don't exactly need an introduction to Dawn French, but she had a main role in the drama's first, second and fourth series as Caroline, a part which saw her start taking on more dramatic roles than her usual comedy output.
During the show, she also starred in the quirky comedies Psychoville and Roger and Val Have Just Got In, and she has since gone on to have regular roles in The Wrong Mans and the Sky1 comedy drama Delicious.
She also returned for a couple of new Vicar of Dibley episodes, and has been touring her critically-acclaimed tour Thirty Million Minutes.
8. John Dagleish (Alf)
Since playing Alf in Lark Rise, John has had a few roles in TV including Beaver Falls, Starlings, The Moorside and The Last Dragonslayer.
But he has become a force in the theatre world, leading the cast of the acclaimed Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon in 2014, winning an Olivier Award. In 2015, he joined the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, appearing in productions of Harlequinade and The Winter's Tale. In 2016, he played Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Young Vic.
9. Ruby Bentall (Minnie)
Ruby has become essentially the princess of period dramas. Already known for playing Mary Bennet in Lost in Austen, and for being the daughter of One Foot in the Grave's Janine Duvitski, she has since had regular roles in The Paradise, Blandings and Jekyll and Hyde.
Her biggest role however, has been as Verity in BBC One's Poldark since 2015. On stage, she played Anya in Remembrance Day at the Royal Court Theatre in 2011 and Victoria in the Mike Leigh-directed play Grief at the Royal National Theatre in London.
10. Victoria Hamilton (Ruby)
Victoria is another costume-drama favourite, having already starred in the 1995 serial Pride and Prejudice, the 1995 film Persuasion, the 1999 film Mansfield Park and 2001's Victoria & Albert.
Since Lark Rise, she has continued to feature in various TV projects, including What Remains, The Game, Doctor Foster, Call the Midwife and most recently in Netflix's The Crown as the Queen Mother.
11. Sarah Lancashire (Narrator/adult Laura)
You may have forgotten that Sarah actually narrated the show from the start, and since then her career has gone from strength to strength, as she's won awards left, right and centre.
Her two biggest roles since then have both been Sally Wainwright productions for the BBC. Since 2012, she has starred as Caroline Dawson in Last Tango in Halifax, and since 2014 she has played Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley. She was honoured with an OBE in 2017.
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