A complete second series of Lark Rise to Candleford will follow the Christmas special that Paul mentioned earlier, beginning in January for a total of 12 episodes. Many of the old faces are back, some new faces appear, and then, in the established tradition of Candleford, there’ll be some faces that newly appear each week and are treated as if they are familiar old faces. Details after the cut.

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Reprising her role as Dorcas Lane, who owns and runs the Post Office, Julia Sawalha (pictured) is joined by other well-known faces from series one: Olivia Hallinan as Laura Timmins, Dorcas’ assistant; Brendan Coyle as Robert, Laura’s opinionated father; Claudie Blakley as Laura’s mother Emma; Mark Heap as Thomas Brown, Head Postman and devout Christian; Victoria Hamilton and Matilda Ziegler as sisters Ruby and Pearl Pratt, who run the fashionable clothes store in Candleford.

Jason Merrells joins the case for the second series, playing a new hotelier, James Dowland, along with Ruby Bentall as Minnie, Dorcas’ new and rather incompetent maid.

In episode two, which continues after the Christmas festivities of the Christmas special episode, James Dowland rides into Candleford, meeting young Edmund Timmins on the road and presenting him with a silver thruppence before heading on his way.

Arriving in Candleford, Dowland soon develops a strong attraction to Dorcas, while the Pratt sisters are delighted with the news he is opening a new hotel, as the increased business will surely be good news for their shop too.

Naturally, the ever-churlish Robert Timmins is not keen on Dowland. He is suspicious of the new man’s motives behind his offer of financial help to the Lark Rise tenants. Their landlady Mrs Herring refuses to lay out a penny for the upkeep their homes and it’s left to Dorcas and James to come up with a plan to show Mrs Herring the error of her ways.

Meanwhile, Dorcas has another problem on her plate: the arrival of her new maid Minnie, who appears to be far too excitable to ever get anything done.