Doctor Who's Bradley Walsh reportedly lands lead role in The Darling Buds of May remake

It was also claimed that Walsh’s decision to take on the role comes as he prepares to step aside from Doctor Who, with rumours persisting he is set to leave his part as Graham on the iconic sci-fi show.

The Darling Buds of May originally aired between 1991 and 1993 and helped launch the career of Catherine Zeta Jones (Entrapment). Adapted from the 1958 H. E. Bates novel of the same name, it followed the life of a family living in rural Kent in the ‘50s.

In addition to Zeta Jones and Jason, the series also starred Pam Ferris and Phillip Franks.

ITV are bringing it back, with The Durrell’s scribe Simon Nye on-board to write.

Walsh has been starring as Graham O’Brien on Doctor Who for the last two series, but reports suggest that he has found the 10-month shoots increasingly difficult to fit into his schedule.

He currently hosts ITV game shows The Chase and Cash Trapped, and is also set to co-host a new show with Holly Willoughby.

Earlier this week, RadioTimes.com reported that although Walsh – and Tosin Cole as well – could be set to leave the Whoniverse after this year’s festive special, we understand that it may be an open-ended departure, allowing them to return to the series in guest roles in the future.