Joanna Scanlan is set to play Ma Larkin in the remake of ‘Darling Buds of May’.
The 58-year-old actress will follow in the footsteps of Pam Ferris to play the matriarch in the new version of the 90s classic, alongside Bradley Walsh as Pop Larkin, according to the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Filming on the reboot has been pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic and show bosses are hoping to start shooting in July and August.
A source said: "It has to be filmed in the summer because it’s when the books are set and we need sunshine".
"It remains to be seen how you can film a romance from six feet apart, but no one’s giving up on it yet".
Meanwhile, Sir David Jason – who played Pop Larkin in the original – previously backed the ‘Darling Buds of May’ remake and said he hopes it will replace the "vulgar" programmes that are on TV at the moment.
David said: "We need more of that style to balance the shows we’ve got.
"We’ve got a lot of hard-hitting and rude, vulgar shows. You get an awful lot of that and, like a lot of people, I’m [like], ‘How can I sit there with my mother-in-law and my daughter?’ We switch it over."
It was reported in November that the show – set in the 1950s – was to be "revamped" to replace ‘The Durrells’.
An insider said at the time: "A revamped version of ‘The ¬Darling Buds Of May’ is just the kind of show ITV needs to keep its reputation for making family-friendly dramas.
"It brought people together around the TV almost three decades ago, and they’re hoping it will provide the same shared experience once again."
Joanna Scanlan to play Ma Larkin in Darling Buds of May remake
