The Larkins on ITV1 stars Joanna Scanlan as Ma Larkin, opposite Bradley Walsh’s Pop – but what has the actress been in before?
How old is she? And is she married in real life?
Here’s everything you need to know about Joanna, and her role in the ITV adaptation of the classic novel The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates.
Who plays Ma Larkin in The Larkins? It’s Joanna Scanlan!
Actress Joanna Scanlan portrays the iconic character Ma Larkin in The Larkins.
Ma Larkin is described as “fun, earth mother, not to be crossed especially when it comes to her children”.
She loves her husband, her community and hates snobbery and bullying – if she witnesses it she’ll definitely call it out.
Joanna Scanlan says about her character: “Ma looks glamorous every day.
“In the contemporary term, she’s modern.
“[…] She wants to be up with the times, she wants to look attractive.
“She wants to make the best of herself without it wasting too much of her time.”
Of course, Bradley Walsh plays her husband Pop Larkin.
What has Ma Larkin actress Joanna Scanlan been in before?
Actress Joanna Scanlan has been on our TV screens ever since 1997 when she played Bessie in the TV movie Jane Eyre.
She went on to play Lady Crawley in Vanity Fair, Stumpy Yates in Doctors and Nurses, and even played a prisoner in EastEnders!
From 2005 to 2012, she played Terri Coverley in The Thick of It, and later Nancy in Stella.
She’s also played Sister Den Flixter in Getting On, Toria in Heading Out, Mrs. Klebb in Big School and Janice Gray in Requiem.
Joanna has also appeared in the films Kinky Boots, Notes on a Scandal, Bridget Jones’ Baby and The Other Boleyn Girl.
Other TV roles include DI Vivienne Deering in No Offence, and Angela Griffiths in The Accident.
More recently, Joanna has played Isabella ‘Tib’ Norcliffe in Gentleman Jack series 2, Kelly Mulcreevy in McDonald & Dodds, and Mother Superior in Dracula.
In 2020, she played Mary in the hard-hitting film After Love.
Mary Hussain suddenly finds herself a widow following the unexpected death of her husband.
The film follows widow Mary, who discovers her late husband’s secret family.
She deservedly won the BAFTA award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for it.
Joanna recently joined the cast of new psychological thriller The Light in the Hall.
How old is Joanna Scanlon? Where was she born?
Joanna was born on October 27 1961 in West Kirby, Cheshire.
She is currently 62 years of age.
Her parents were hoteliers Michael and Patricia Scanlan, who bought and ran the Castle Hotel in Ruthin.
Is Ma Larkin actress Joanna Larkin married? Who is her husband?
Joanna married her husband, accountant Neil Bicknell, in 2009.
Together they live in South Croydon, London.
Despite having six children in The Larkins, Joanna doesn’t have kids in real life.
She has said: “I’d have loved to become a mother, but I suspect I wouldn’t have been able to be a very good actor or an artist had I been one.
“There was a point in my own life, when I was in my mid-thirties and saying, ‘Oh, I want babies’, and both my parents said to me there is more to life than having children. Which you could take in two ways.
“But I think what they meant, their unfulfilled artistic expression perhaps was curtailed by having a family, and perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to manage both.
“My deep suspicion is that I would have prioritised children above having an artistic life.”
She admits she met her husband too late to consider having children together.
Who played Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May?
Pam Ferris played Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May between 1991 and 1993.
Actress Pam, 74, has been an actress for four decades, although she made her name playing Ma.
She went on to play Laura Thyme in the whimsical detective drama Rosemary & Thyme alongside Felicity Kendal, and Mrs Trunchbull in Matilda.
Read more: The Larkins season 2 cast: Who is Pinkie actress Morgana Robinson and is she married?
The Larkins is currently available to watch on ITVX.
Did you enjoy The Larkins? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.