Olivia Hallinan | Lark Rise | Candleford | Second Series

Lark Rise to Candleford gets Second Series
The BBC has announced that there will be a second series of costume drama 'Lark Rise to Candleford' starring Olivia Hallinan as post office worker, Laura Timmins. The first series consisted of 10 episodes set in the Oxfordshire countryside. It was widely reported that filming was made difficult when severe flooding affected the locations being used for the outdoor scenes. The second series will feature 12 episodes and be broadcast in 2009. The series is based on the memoirs of Flora Thompson and is set in the fictional hamlet of Lark Rise and nearby town of Candleford. The television version bears little resemblance to the original books. The adaptation is (devised) written and produced by Bill Gallagher. Flora Thompson wrote a trilogy of books about her life in the Oxfordshire countryside:-

1. Lark Rise - published 1939
2. Over to Candleford - published 1941
3. Candleford Green - published 1943

Flora Thompson also wrote a sequal titled "Heatherley" circa 1944. This was published after her death (posthumously). Flora Thompson died in 1947, Devon. It is often over looked that Flora Thompson was a naturalist (a lover of nature writer not a nudist!) and her first published book was called "Bog-myrtle and Peat". It was published in 1921 by Phillip Allen and Co, London.

I'm not sure if a second series is good or bad news for Olivia Hallinan fans. I feel that she is very proffesional in this role but soon to be 25 years old, should she be playing the part of a 16/17 year old girl? The narration is excellent and Hallinan's performances are brilliant in every episode broadcast so far. It is hoped that the BBC realise that Dawn French is letting the side down in this series and remove her from the cast list for the second series. I am not the only person who has come to this conclusion, there are a lot of critics who have written similar statements. In fact many of their depictions of Dawn French are far less tactful than my own observations!

In the cast list adult Laura is played by Sarah Lancashire, beginining from episode seven. This begs the question, will Olivia Hallinan's role and input degenerate during the course of the series. It is not known at this stage how the story will progress but it is likely that the story will move on slowly using a similar cast of characters for the second series. Then the writers may have to decide whether to follow the true path of the original stories by creating a spin-off called Candleford Green or continue the story as though trapped in a time warp. This is a television trick used on programmes like Heartbeat, which is set eternally in the 1960's. I am only speculating on how this might pan out at the end of series two. For now, enjoy the remaining episodes of the first series.