Season 1 follows the relationship of two contrasting communities: Lark Rise, the small hamlet gently holding on to the past, and Candleford, the small market town bustling into the future. Seen through the eyes of young Laura, their inhabitants endure many upheavals and struggles as the inexorably change comes; their stories by turns poignant, spirited and uplifting.

• Olivia Hallinan
• Julia Sawalha
• Claudie Blakley
• Brendan Coyle
• Ruby Bentall
• John Dagleish
• Mark Heap
• Dawn French