Where Ma Larkin from the Darling Buds of May cast is now - iconic villain and film star

The Darling Buds of May was a hit British comedy drama which aired in the early nineties and catapulted one of its stars, Catherine Zeta-Jones, to Hollywood fame. The series followed the life and adventures of the Larkins in rural 1950s Kent.

The cosy family unit was made up of Ma and Pop Larkin and their six children - the eldest being the beautiful siren Mariette - played by Zeta-Jones. The series was remade, with The Larkins airing in 2021 along with a new cast headed by Bradley Walsh and Joanna Scanlan as the loveable parents with a penchant for the good life.

Here’s where the original Ma Larkin, played by actress Pam Ferris is now. It comes after Sir Michael Palin says he is preparing for the end of his life in sad update.

As Florence Daisy ‘Ma’ Larkin, Pam Ferris’ character was bubbly, motherly and loved nothing more than feeding her children and extended family with her home cooked meals and baked treats. Her relationship with Pop, played by legendary actor David Jason, was extremely affectionate and very cheeky. Despite his never-ending flirtations with other women in the idyllic village where they lived, Ma remained unfazed and confident of his love for her.

Their stunning eldest child Mariette ends up marrying the rather geeky tax inspector Cedric "Charley" Charlton, played by Philip Franks. Catherine, of course, went on to great success in America where she married actor Michael Douglas and starred in many blockbuster films and on stage in Chicago.

Pam has spoken about their relationship since the Darling Buds and revealed it was somewhat damaged when she was held up before a huge event Catherine asked her to. "Many years ago, I was invited to the premiere of one of her films - I think it was Zorro - but my car got stuck in terrible traffic," she told MailOnline. "It was a royal premiere and you're not allowed to be late, so I had to miss it. I've effectively been sending apology messages for nearly 15 years."

The German born Welsh star, who is now 77 made the role of Ma Larkin her own but she’s played many other, starkly different, famous characters. Film fans will recognise her as the terrifying force of nature that was Miss Trunchbull in the screen adaptation of Road Dahl’s Matilda. She also portrayed the equally unlikable and cruel Aunt Marge in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She starred as Mrs Bevan in the Christmas films Nativity! And Nativity 2 and as Mrs Faulkner in Tolkien in 2019.

On the small screen Pam took on the role of Peggy Snow in Where The Heart Is, which followed the lives of district nurses in Yorkshire. It also featured a young Sarah Lancashire, who would go on to achieve huge success on TV in Coronation Street and Happy Valley. Pam was nominated three times for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards for playing Peggy.

One of Pam’s most notable television characters was as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme. The detective series, which ran for three seasons from 2003 to 2006, followed two gardeners as they solved murders and mysteries and also starred Felicity Kendall as Rosemary Boxer.

For four years, from 2012, Pam appeared in the long-running hit drama Call The Midwife, in which she played Sister Evangelina. Her character suffered two strokes and was written out of the series after Pam decided she could no longer commit to the commuting for the role.

As well as small guest roles in series such as Casualty, The Bill and Midsomer Murders, the talented actress has appeared in plenty of period dramas. She starred in Middlemarch, Our Mutual Friend and Jane Eyre, among others. She has also had a successful career on stage with stand out performances in Cymbeline, Notes on Falling Leaves and The Entertainer.

These days Pam enjoys a much quieter life at home in Elham, Kent, where she lives with her husband, fellow actor Roger Frost. The couple don’t share children and she once told the Guardian she didn’t regret choosing her career over a family.

"I was obsessed with work in my youth," she said in 2012. "It's why I didn't get married until I was 38 and the reason I didn't have kids. Not having children isn't a sadness in my life, though. I know I wouldn't have been a half-bad mother, but that's what happened. There's no regretting it."

Although Pam hasn’t starred in anything new for a few years, she did pop up recently in one of TV’s most loved shows, Gavin & Stacey. She first appeared as Smithy’s narcoleptic mum Cath in 2009. Memorable moments from her two previous performances included accidentally flashing Nessa on a video call and rambling on about her medical condition. Along with Sheridan Smith, Pam made a cameo in the last ever episode of the show on Christmas Day 2024 during Smithy’s wedding.