ITV officially axes popular Bradley Walsh series after huge ratings slump
TV favourite Bradley Walsh will be appearing on ITV less, after the channel's bosses revealed they would be cancelling one of his shows.
Darling Buds of May spin-off The Larkins has failed to draw in the ratings, and will not be returning to TV screens for a fourth season.
Ratings were described as "disappointingly low" amid rumours of a feud amongst stars on set, leading to ITV bosses to make the decision to axe the drama.
Bradley Walsh, who plays Pop Larkin, is reported to have been 'upset' by tensions on set as the spin-off drama finished its third season.
Bradley Walsh, with co-star Joanna Scanlan, will not return to The Larkins after ITV axes the series (ITV)
The Darling Buds of May spin off featuring Bradley Walsh has failed to bring in the ratings (ITV)According to the Mail on Sunday, when actress Sabrina Bartlett, who played main character Mariette Larkin, left the series it spelled the end for the countryside drama.
Bradley Walsh breaks down in tears filming 'emotional' ITV show with son Barney
Sabrina left the show before the second series due to reported tensions with co-star Tok Stephens, but ratings have apparently struggled to meet the expectations of ITV since.
A source revealed: "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 Larkins has faced tensions and rumours of cast difficulties since the first series (ITV)Another source told the Daily Mail: "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."
They further claimed: "There was a lot of talk around the television industry about this, and bosses at the station do not want to be tarnished in any way. It is not fair for the cast, particularly Bradley, to be caught up in any of it either."
Bradley Walsh is reported to be 'upset' by the tensions on set (ITV)Despite rumours of tensions and difficulties, the ratings have been credited for the decision to axe the programme. The show lost two million viewers when it returned for a second series in 2022, with only 2.9million viewers tuning in compared to 4.8million the previous year.
Last month, an insider claimed "the writing is on the wall" for the drama, with the 1950s set series not returning for a fourth series.
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