Sabrina Bartlett: who is The Larkins star - and why has she quit The Darling Buds of May reboot?

Following news of an “on-set disagreement”, The Larkins star Sabrina Bartlett has reportedly left the ITV drama.

Bartlett starred in the first season, and the Christmas special, of the show, alongside Bradley Walsh (The Chase, Doctor Who), Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It, Getting On), Tok Stephen (Silent Witness, Holby City), Stephen Hagan (Lucky Man, The Cut) and Natalie Mitson (Last Train to Christmas, The Last Bus).

This is what you need to know.

Who is Sabrina Bartlett?

Bartlett is an English actress who was born in September 1991 in Hammersmith, and grew up on Walham Grove in Fulham.

She attended Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire before going on to train at Guildford School of Acting, where she graduated in 2013.

Her first major acting role was as Katie in The Passing Bells, the 2014 BBC World War I drama. That same year she also appeared in Suspects, Holby City and Doctor Who.

In 2015 she appeared in Midsomer Murders, Poldark and Da Vinci’s Demons and the following year starred as Arya Stark’s disguise in an episode of Game of Thrones.

Her other credits include Knightfall, The Innocents and Victoria, and in 2020 became a series regular on the hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton as opera singer Siena Rosso.

Who did she play on The Larkins - and why has she quit?

Bartlett had starred in the first season, and Christmas special, of The Larkins, the ITV reboot of the 1990s series The Darling Buds of May, which launched the career of the Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones.

She would have been set to appear in the second season, however a second season has not yet been confirmed by ITV.

The show follows the Larkin family, wheeler dealer Pop Larkin (Bradley Wash), wife Ma (Joanna Scanlan) and their six children, including eldest Mariette, played by Bartlett.

Sources reportedly told the Mail that her exit comes following an on-set disagreement, which they described as “sensitive”.

Bartlett’s publicist also confirmed to the Mail that she was leaving the show, citing “scheduling issues”.

Last year, Bartlett spoke highly about the show and her experiences filming.

She said: “I felt very at home with everybody as well, sort of like falling down the rabbit hole and having a family overnight.

“Inheriting this wild family which, after such a hard year for everybody, I think even being on set at all was such a privilege.

“I felt so lucky to be there having this wonderful Ma and Pop and having all of our siblings and all of these animals.”

When is The Larkins season two going to air?

A second series is yet to actually be confirmed by ITV, however star Bradley Walsh has previously expressed hopes for another season.

He said: “Well to be fair, it would be great but I can’t keep going out and buying new clothes that are bigger.

“We have got to calm down on the eating, you have now got to go and live somewhere by the sea in The Larkins and have a Mediterranean diet.”

A source also reportedly told The Sun that ITV would be keen for a second season following its success with fans.

They said: “The Larkins has turned out to be the Sunday night hit they hoped it would be.

“The show has got around four million viewers an episode.

“But they have been thrilled by the fact it’s been watched by almost an equal number on the ITV Hub.

“Bradley [Walsh] is particularly enthusiastic about a sequel because he’s very much taken ownership of the role of Pop Larkin.”

After season one, The Larkins returned once again in December for a Christmas special, following its debut in October 2021.

Speaking about filming the Christmas special, Bartlett said at the time: “I’m definitely very excited and it’s so great to be back working with everybody again - wonderful, eccentric, mad village.

“It’s just so much fun; I’m very excited.”

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