| OFMAY | HE Bates created the endearing Larkin family in his 1958 novel, The Darling Buds ... (2,3) |
| LARKIN | Surname of the family in HE Bates' 1958 novel The Darling Buds of May (6) |
| BATES | Author noted for his tales about the Larkin family in five novels including The Darling Buds of May (5) |
| PRIMROSE | Flower, and member of the Larkin family in The Darling Buds of May (8) |
| LAMPEDUSA | Italian aristocrat who wrote the 1958 novel The Leopard |
| HEBATES | Author noted for his 1958 novella The Darling Buds Of May (1,1,5) |
| CHUCKBERRY | His 1958 song Run Rudolph Run hit the top 10 for the first time ever in 2021: 2 wds. |
| VERTIGO | His 1958 film |
| MARIETTE | Eldest Larkin child in H.E. Bates' novel The Darling Buds of May (8) |
| ZETAJONES | Welsh actress married to Michael Douglas who starred as Mariette in the television adaptation of H. E. Bates' novel The Darling Buds of May (4-5) |
| BUDSOFMAY | The --- --- --- --, 1958 novella by HE Bates, introducing the Larkin family (7,4,2,3) |
| PARIS | Mrs. 'Arris Goes to ___ 1958 novel by Paul Gallico that was adapted into a 2022 comedy-drama film |
| APART | 'Things Fall --', a 1958 novel by Chinua Achebe (5) |
| BUDS | 1958 novel by HE Bates, The Darling _ Of May (4) |
| DARLING | A young Catherine Zeta-Jones starred in this saga about the Larkin family (The ------- Buds of May) |
| JASON | see 7ac, English actor whose TV series include Only Fools and Horses, The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost |
| DAVID | and 34ac, English actor whose TV series include Only Fools and Horses, The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost |
| THEDARLINGBUDSOFMAY | First of a series of novels by H E Bates featuring the Larkin family |
| TRIPLEECHO | The ____ is a 1972 film based on an HE Bates novella, starring Glenda Jackson, Brian Deacon and Oliver Reed |
| RUSHDEN | Northamptonshire town in which author HE Bates was born |
