There was a double bonus for a rarely seen little fella called Bradley Walsh on ITV.
Lucky Bradders finally managed to pick up some TV work for himself – and his son Barney somehow landed a role alongside him.
Yet Nadine Dorries has the cheek to accuse the BBC of being a hotbed of nepotism.
Bradley won’t be judged on that. Viewers just wanted to find out whether The Larkins could match The Darling Buds Of May.
On the evidence so far I’d say that was a resounding yes – partly because all I really remember from the 90s version was David Jason saying “Perfick” and Catherine Zeta Jones looking terrifick.
But mainly because The Larkins is the kind of charming, feel good nostalgia we could all do with on a Sunday evening.
Not that it is stuck in the past. It has been given a modern feel, with plenty of diversity.
The main roles though are carbon copies of the original.
Sabrina Bartlett (Mariette) could easily pass for Zeta Jones, while Joanna Scanlan (Ma) must surely be related to Pam Ferris somewhere along the line.
As for Bradley, with his sideburns and quiff he may look like he’s playing Pop Larkin – The Alvin Stardust Years but he has clearly been touched by the cheeky spirit of David Jason.
His best line was his defence of his new-fangled TV set: “Well, it lightens up the room doesn’t it?”
Not always, Pop – but I think we’re good for the next five Sundays.
