Lark Rise to Candleford was a period drama that aired on BBC One between 2008 and 2011. It was adapted from a series of semi-autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson. At its core, the story is about the peaceful English countryside near Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire at the turn of the 20th century.
The series ran for four seasons and 40 episodes, maintaining a strong and stable cast throughout its runtime. Many of the actors and actresses aren’t household names, but that doesn’t mean their personal stories aren’t just as interesting. These are 10 interesting facts you need to know about the cast of Lark Rise to Candleford.
Julia Sawalha’s Father Was In James Bond Films
Julia Sawalha portrayed Dorcas Lane throughout all four seasons of the show. She comes from an acting family, and her father, Nadim Sawalha, can be seen in two James Bond films.
In The Spy Who Loved Me, released in 1977, he played Aziz Fekkesh. He would return to the series exactly 10 years later, playing Tangier Chief of Security in the Timothy Dalton-led The Living Daylights. Those two films are still fondly remembered in the Bond community.
Olivia Hallinan Was Trained By Her Mother
Playing Laura Timmins was Olivia Hallinan, an actress who has been in the business since the age of seven. Hallinan was raised in London and appeared in various theatrical productions as a child, including a 1991 performance of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Hallinan was professionally trained by her mother, as she owned a drama school in Teddington called All Expressions. It was here that Hallinan trained as an actress before studying the art in university.
Claudie Blakley Came From A Performing Family
Much like Julia Sawalha, Claudie Blakley (who plays Emma Timmins) comes from a performing family. Her father is Alan Blakley, a guitarist and record producer who served as a member of The Tremeloes. The band scored 13 top 40 hits in the late 60s and early 70s, including “Silence Is Golden.”
Her mother is Lin Blakley, who played Pam Coker on the popular soap operaEastEnders from 2014 to 2016.
Brendan Coyle starred in the first three seasons of Lark Rise to Candleford as Robert Timmins. Coyle is an Olivier-award winning actor, having won the esteemed award back in 1999 for his performance in The Weir.
An interesting thing about Coyle’s life is that he’s the great-nephew of Matt Busby. Busby is regarded as one of the greatest football managers ever, having managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969. He was even knighted in 1968 for his contributions to the sport.
Karl Johnson Has Received An Honorary Doctorate
Karl Johnson’s career has spanned decades. His first credited movie role came in 1978, playing Sphinx in Jubilee. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Cato the Younger in Rome and Twister Turrill in Lark Rise to Candleford.
Owing to his contributions to the medium of film and television, Johnson received an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University.
Mark Heap Performed In Medieval Theatre Productions
Mark Heap played Thomas Brown for all four seasons of Lark Rise to Candleford, although many known him as Brian from Spaced. Heap began his performing career in his early 20s, having performed in various medieval and early modern theatre productions.
His brother Carl owned a touring company, and the group would perform various old-fashioned acts, like juggling, puppetry, and stilt-walking.
Sandy McDade Was In The Scottish Youth Theatre
Sandy McDade played Margaret Ellison Brown, although she only had a recurring role throughout the show’s first season.
McDade has a storied history in acting, earning a spot in the Scottish Youth Theatre, Scotland’s national youth theatre company, by the time she was 15. She even made her professional stage debut at Scotland’s Royal Lyceum Theatre.
Dawn French Was Heavily Supported By Her Depressed Father
Dawn French has a very tragic past. Her father, Denys French, was in the Royal Air Force but suffered from a severe case of depression. He hid the depression from his children, even though he had a history of failed suicide attempts.
He considered Dawn the greatest thing in his life and reportedly told her that she was beautiful every single day. Unfortunately, Denys ended his life in 1977 when Dawn was just 20 years old.
Liz Smith Was Raised By Her Grandmother
Liz Smith was another unfortunate recipient of a tragic upbringing. Her mother died when Liz was just two years old. Her father quickly moved on and remarried, but his new wife wanted him to start anew – without links to his past life.
He subsequently cut young Liz from his life, and she went to live with her grandmother. Luckily, her grandmother did an exceptional job, and Smith went on to serve in the Women’s Royal Naval Service.
Victoria Hamilton Is A Shakespearean Actress
Victoria Hamilton played Ruby Pratt for all four seasons of Lark Rise to Candleford, but her initial love was the stage. Despite being raised by a non-theatrical family, Hamilton quickly grew a love for the theatre and began her acting career in the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She stayed with the group for 18 months and has appeared in various Shakespeare productions, including As You Like It and Twelfth Night.