The book was filmed with the title "The Mating Game," (1958, U.S., MGM, directed by George Marshall, with Debbie Reynolds, Tony Randall, and Paul Douglas), an adaptation criticized by Bates in an article called " When the Cinemagoer Complains That 'It Isn't Like The Book' — Who's To Blame?" It was adapted for stage and produced at the Saville Theatre, London, starring Elspeth March and Peter Jones. From 1991 to 1993, Yorkshire Television in conjunction with Richard Bates produced a highly-successful, twenty-episode television series called The Darling Buds of May, which faithfully recreated the first novel and some of the others before it followed screenplays based on the characters but not on the novels. Note: The 2008 and 2011 DVD sets from ITV Studios list that there are 11 episodes; this is due to the fact that all episodes in series 1–3 (not including the specials) contain two parts, making them count as a whole. Beneath the sunny, cloudless skies of Kent, the Larkin household—Pop, Ma, and their six children—enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Pop works as a junk dealer and keeps the farm to feed his brood, while Ma cooks the meals and minds the children. While the family may not seem to have much, they more than make up for it in joyous spirit—and bountiful feasts. Bates died on 29 January 1974 in Canterbury, Kent, aged 68. A prolific and successful author, his greatest success was posthumous, with the television adaptations of his stories The Darling Buds of May and its sequels as well as adaptations of My Uncle Silas, A Moment in Time, Fair Stood the Wind for France and Love for Lydia. In his home town of Rushden, H.E. Bates has a road named after him to the west of the town, leading to the local leisure centre. His archive is held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. [15]

The television adaptation, produced after his death by his son Richard and based on these stories, was a tremendous success. It is also the source of the American movie The Mating Game. The My Uncle Silas stories were also made into a UK television series from 2000 to 2003. Many other stories were adapted to TV and others to movies, the most renowned being The Purple Plain in 1954 and The Triple Echo; Bates also worked on other movie scripts. In 2020 ITV commissioned a new television series of The Darling Buds of May, with the title The Larkins [10] starring Bradley Walsh, Joanna Scanlan, Sabrina Bartlett and Tok Stephen [10] The first episode aired in October 2021. [11] Personal life [ edit ] The novel follows the conversion of Mr. Charlton from a malnourished and timid tax clerk to a full member of the Larkin family — Ma and Pa Larkin and their many children — and its easygoing celebration of nature, food, drink, and family. A cast of colorful village characters provide much diversion in the book and its sequels. Setting the style for the series, the book ends with a grand celebration, and the announcement of the wedding of Charlie and Mariette. The title is taken from Shakespeare's Sonnet XVIII. Herbert Ernest Bates, CBE is widely recognised as one of the finest short story writers of his generation, with more than 20 story collections published in his lifetime. It should not be overlooked, however, that he also wrote some outstanding novels, starting with The Two Sisters through to A Moment in Time, with such works as Love For Lydia, Fair Stood the Wind for France and The Scarlet Sword earning high praise from the critics. His study of the Modern Short Story is considered one of the best ever written on the subject. Pop and Ma Larkin celebrate sex, youth, and vitality. In each novella in the series, Pop Larkin kisses, caresses, and pinches most of the women that he encounters. Ma Larkin expects this behaviour and approves of it. When told that Pop has kissed the middle-aged Miss Pilchester, she responds, "Do her good. Make her sleep all the sweeter." Another theme of the series was the Larkin family's habit of giving their children unusual or themed first and middle names. Mariette was created by combining 'Marie' and 'Antoinette'. Montgomery was named after wartime officer Field Marshall Montgomery. Victoria was named for being born during the plum season ( Victoria plum). While Monty and Victoria have no middle names, the other children have several: Primrose Violet Anemone Iris Magnolia Narcissa, twins Petunia June Florence Nightingale and Zinnia June Florence Nightingale, and Oscar Columbus Septimus Dupont, the last one being in tribute to the French hotelier Madamoiselle Dupont, who features in the series. Mariette and Charlie continue the family penchant for elaborate naming by christening their son John Marlborough Churchill Blenheim.What Bates calls "the comedian in me" had previously found expression in a small number of stories and essays, and then more significantly in two volumes of Uncle Silas tales (tales in the second collection first appearing only one year prior to The Darling Buds of May). In the first novella, Pop, Ma, and Mariette Larkin attempt to beguile Cedric Charlton, a timid and naive tax inspector, into abandoning his investigation of their finances. Their ultimate goal is for Mariette, who is secretly pregnant at the age of seventeen, to marry "Charley" and thus provide a father for her baby. Ultimately Mariette develops true feelings for Charley and they do become engaged. Charley is never told of the pregnancy, which turns out to be a false alarm.

In a tiny book, so many words are deeply devoted to the characters and food. The plot in all essence, is rather thin – it basically consists of Pop and the other Larkins distracting Charley every time he wants to talk about tax (usually with food, but often with alcohol or their attractive daughter Mariette) and the whole book reads like one 1950′s English country holiday. Picnic baskets, strawberries, whole legs of roasted pork, huge bacon and egg breakfasts, this book is capable of setting off deep cravings you didn’t know existed! His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.It became an instant classic, running for 20 episodes and launching the career of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who played the Larkin family’s eldest daughter. Ma and Pop Larkin and their five children – Mariette, Montgomery, Zinnia, Petunia and Primrose are returning home from a lovely outing to get fish and chips and some ice cream. When they arrive home, eldest Mariette notices a strange man in the yard, looking like he’s been waiting for them. Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River. We soon discover, Ma and Pop Larkin are unconcerned about late 1950s conventions: a baby is simply a wonderful addition to the Larkin paradise on Earth. The Larkins may be little devils when it comes to tax evasion, but they are the kindliest creatures on the planet who'd never force their daughter into a marriage where she'd not be happy with the choice of groom and they couldn't care less about conventions of marriage either. Having produced 6 children without the encumbrance of a marriage certificate, Ma and Pop Larking know they can easily manage a grandchild that comes from "the wrong side of the blanket".

Evening Standard ( "The Family That Inspired Hit TV Series The Darling Buds of May, October 18, 2006)

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The Larkin family lives on a farm in rural England, in the county of Kent. Sidney ("Pop") and his common law wife Florence ("Ma") have six children, eldest daughter Mariette, followed by their only son Montgomery, and other daughters Primrose, twins Zinnia and Petunia, and Victoria. Ma is a housewife while Pop supplements his farm income with various other not entirely legitimate enterprises. Tax collector Cedric ("Charley") visits to audit Pop, but falls in love with Mariette and quits his job to live the rural life. As Ma and Pop raise their other children, Charley attempts to provide for his now wife Mariette. Ma and Pop soon have a seventh child, Oscar, followed around a year later by Charley and Mariette's first baby, John Blenheim. Dancing on Ice 2022 cast: Confirmed contestants, line-up rumours and latest on when new series starts on ITV Sophie says: I love a short story collection. I also love a title that is an instruction, I feel like it's immediately attention-grabbing. It's immediately vibrant. The day of Charley and Mariette's wedding is looming. Pop sells a country mansion to an aristocratic couple. When Pop rejects the advances of Corrine Perrigo ( Celia Imrie), she gets her revenge by persuading the woman to charge him with assault, when all he attempted was to stop her from falling. The Brigadier is best man for the wedding. Eventually, Pop is found not guilty and the wedding goes ahead. Eads, Peter, 1995, The Life and Times of H.E.Bates, Northamptonshire County Council Libraries and Information Service, ISBN 0-905391-17-9

Pop runs for rural councillor while Charley and Mariette struggle at the brewery and have problems in their relationship. Gypsies get involved in Pop's campaign for rural councillor. Charley and Mariette have to work on their marriage, as Mariette is attracted to Tom Sargent, after which they at last finalise the deal to buy Bristow's brewery. The rich spirit of an English junk dealer and his family is challenged by the arrival of the tax collector in this humorous and heartwarming classic.

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Bates' idyllic depiction of rural Britain is referred to by the character 'I' in cult British comedy Withnail & I Little filming was done inside the farmhouse, the interiors having been shot in a studio at Yorkshire Television. Scenes shot in the former Wennington School near Wetherby in Yorkshire, which stood in for Bluff Hall, were included. Other filming locations in Yorkshire include the Hotel Metropole in Leeds, which stood in for the 'Marble Arch Hotel'. Yet as junk-dealer Pop patiently explains: nothing's ever that simple at the Larkins'. Mariette takes a shine to 'Charley' - as Pop calls him - and before long the family have introduced the uncomplaining inspector to the delights of country living: the lusty scents of wild flowers, the pleasures of a bottle of Dragon's Blood, cold cream dribbled over a bowl of strawberries and the sweet song of nightingales.