Brendan Coyle, Dawn French, Olivia Grant, Olivia Hallinan, Mark Heap, Ben Miles, Julia Sawalha and Liz Smith star in a BBC One ten-part adaptation of Flora Thompson’s magical memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood, Lark Rise To Candleford, a love letter to a vanished corner of rural England and a heart-warming drama series teeming with wit, wisdom and romance.

Set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, at the end of the 19th century, the series chronicles the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry, observing characters in loving, boisterous and competing communities of families, rivals, friends and neighbours.

This world is seen through the eyes of a teenage girl, Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan – Sugar Rush, Torchwood) as she leaves Lark Rise to start a new life under the wing of the independent and effervescent Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha – Hornblower, Pride And Prejudice) who is post-mistress at the local post office in Candleford.

Through them we experience the force of friendship as they see each other through the best and worst of times.

Lark Rise To Candleford will be warm, funny, poignant, occasionally tragic but overall a celebration of the spirit of community.

Jane Tranter, Controller of BBC Fiction says: “Bill Gallagher has created a strong, funny and heart-warming ten-part drama series from Flora Thompson’s novel.

“His drama naturally displays the enduring beauty of the English countryside, but more than that, it displays the enduring power of human landscape: the comedy, the whimsy, the moments of pain and heartbreak, and the collective and courageous force of family, friends and neighbours that see our characters through the best and worst of times.

“The talent and strength of the assembled cast and production team pay tribute to the excellence of Bill’s vision and scripts.”