The Darling Buds of May (TV series) and 2.1, respectively. Although a male character, John Blenheim was played by Daisy-May Bates, granddaughter of the author of the books. Various other actors appeared in more than one storyline, i.e. in more than one double episode. Having been sold to MGM films in 1959, it wasn't until 1989 that Richard Bates, son of the author of the original books H. E. Bates, was able to purchase the rights to the novels. At the same time, Yorkshire Television were looking for a new project for David Jason, having starred for them in "A Bit of a Do". Richard Bates went
USS William H. Bates (SSN-680) Coast and entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington, for an extensive refueling overhaul and retrofit. In 1991, after completion of the refueling overhaul, "William H. Bates" home port was changed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, from which she completed several Western Pacific deployments and operations during the 1990s. "William H. Bates" was decommissioned and simultaneously stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 February 2000. She returned to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where her scrapping via the Nuclear-Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program began on 1 October 2002 and was completed on 30 October 2002. USS William H. Bates