10 January 2023 , 12:13
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Bradley Walsh finally cleared up the rumours that The Larkins was axed due to low viewing figures.
At the beginning of the month, it was reported that The Larkins faced the axe amid a rating slump and the departure of star Sabrina Bartlett.
An insider claimed "the writing is on the wall" for the latest adaptation of the classic novel The Darling Buds of May.
Bradley, who played Pop Larkin on the show, appeared on This Morning and opened up about the real reason The Larkins is facing the axe.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, he said: "It's a 14-week shoot, and I haven't got time to do that this year.
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"I actually don't have 14 weeks so it's down to me not anything else. We're trying to, at this moment, get something together where we can do a special and I know Simon Nye is working on that right now."
Bradley Walsh starred as Pop Larkin (ITV)He continued: "So that's what it's all about. The Larkins is a fantastic show. Barnes [his son] worked on that with me as well.
"I just loved it. It was brilliant. It was heartwarming and it was just fantastic. And it's purely down to the fact that I just have not got the time."
Meanwhile, earlier reports said Sabrina's decision not to reprise her role of Mariette Larkin for the second series of the ITV reboot was said to have caused "a massive problem" for bosses.
The comedy-drama set in rural 1950s Kent, also starring Bradley and Joanna Scanlan, dropped two million viewers when it returned for its second series last year - leaving the possibility of a third offering from Pop and Ma Larkin and their six children looking unlikely.
The star admitted he doesn't have time to film for it (ITV)2.9 million people tuned in to watch the opening episode of the second series of The Larkins - a drop compared to the 4.8 million viewers who caught the first episode of their debut season in 2021.
A source claimed Sabrina's decision not to return for a second series was down to a disagreement with on-screen love interest Tok Stephen.
"The ratings for series two were disappointingly low and cast disagreements on set have been an ongoing problem for the production team," the source said, after revealing that The Larkins will be dropped in the new year.
"Sabrina’s issue with Tok and her decision to leave, was a massive problem for the bosses. But there have also been other disagreements," they added when speaking to The Sun.