Almost 40 years ago Captain Ross Poldark galloped across the TV screens of millions of PBS viewers, vexing villains and winning female hearts in one of MASTERPIECE’s earliest hit series, POLDARK. Now the gallant captain rides again in a thrilling new version with all the action, adventure, and romance of the original, plus even more spectacular Cornish scenery and rousing local color. The new POLDARK airs in seven exciting episodes starting June 21, 2015 on MASTERPIECE on PBS.
Reviews
A ratings hit when it aired on the BBC, POLDARK was warmly received by the British press: “An intoxicating cocktail of lusty romance and historical drama, set among the crashing ocean waves and savage beauty of Cornwall” (Mail on Sunday); “A beautifully filmed Sunday night romp” (The Times); “An absolute must-see” (TV Times); and from The Guardian: “You need look no further for your next guilty pleasure.”
Aidan Turner ("The Hobbit") stars as Ross Poldark, a redcoat who returns to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War to discover that his father is dead, his lands are ruined, and his true love is about to marry his first cousin. Also starring is Eleanor Tomlinson (DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY) as the fiery servant Demelza, a strong-willed miner’s daughter who runs away from home and finds refuge in Poldark’s enlightened household.
In a special appearance, Robin Ellis, who starred as Ross Poldark in MASTERPIECE’s original adaptation, plays Reverend Halse, the village’s sin-obsessed parson. Co-starring are BLEAK HOUSE’s Warren Clarke as Poldark’s prosperous, duplicitous Uncle Charles; Ruby Bentall (THE PARADISE) as Charles’s tenderhearted daughter, Verity; Kyle Soller (THE HOLLOW CROWN) as Verity’s ineffectual brother, Francis; and Heida Reed (DCI BANKS) as Francis’s fiancée, Elizabeth Chenoweth, the beautiful young woman who gave Poldark her ring as a love token before he left for America.
Also appearing are Phil Davis (BLEAK HOUSE) and Beatie Edney (INSPECTOR LEWIS) as Judd and Prudie Paynter, Poldark’s comical hired hands; and Jack Farthing (POIROT) as George Warleggan, a rapacious young businessman who challenges everything the principled Poldark stands for.
POLDARK is based on a beloved series of novels by Winston Graham. The first, "Ross Poldark," was published in 1945; the last, "Bella Poldark," appeared in 2002, the year before Graham’s death. All twelve are subtitled "A Novel of Cornwall" and trace the fortunes of a landed, mine-owning family in windswept Cornwall two centuries ago.
The new MASTERPIECE series opens with a prologue in Virginia in 1781, when Captain Poldark’s regiment is ambushed by the local militia fighting for independence. After the war and with a scar across his face as a souvenir, he goes home to Cornwall, where his real struggle begins. For one thing, everyone assumes Poldark has been killed in action. On seeing him, they react as if meeting a ghost. And he might as well be dead, since his inheritance from his father is almost worthless, Elizabeth has forsaken him, and all the local gentry urge him to leave the region to make his fortune elsewhere.
How little they know this headstrong adventurer! Poldark immediately goes to work paying off his father’s debts, repairing his property, and reopening his abandoned copper mine, which either holds his salvation or his ruin. And he finds someone just as impulsive as he is to share the twists and turns of this eventful new life.
POLDARK is a Mammoth Screen production for MASTERPIECE and the BBC. Based on the novels by Winston Graham, it is written and created for television by Debbie Horsfield, produced by Eliza Mellor and directed by Ed Bazalgette and William McGregor. The executive producers are Debbie Horsfield, Karen Thrussell and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, Polly Hill for the BBC and Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1 airs Sunday, June 21 at 9 p.m. - After fighting for England in the American Revolution, Poldark returns home to Cornwall and finds wrenching change. He loses one close friend and gains another.
Episode 2 airs Sunday, June 28 at 9 p.m. - Determined to open his risky copper mine, Poldark seeks backers. Verity’s big chance leads to a showdown.
Episode 3 airs Sunday, July 5 at 9 p.m. - Poldark’s battle with the local gentry deepens. He faces one turning point with Elizabeth and another with Demelza.
Episode 4 airs Sunday, July 12 at 9 p.m. - The community awaits news of the fish harvest. Poldark’s copper mine struggles. Demelza must get used to a new way of life.
Episode 5 airs Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. - Poldark and Demelza start a family. Demelza plays matchmaker. The miners riot. And Francis takes desperate measures to recoup his losses.
Episode 6 airs Sunday, July 26 at 9 p.m. - A mysterious smelting company challenges the local copper barons. Poldark confronts the same cardsharp who swindled Francis.
Episode 7 airs Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. - When Verity makes her move, Poldark is blamed and events spiral out of control. An epidemic leads to tragedy. A shipwreck is both a blessing and a curse.
Watch past episodes of MASTERPIECE online. MASTERPIECE is on Facebook, and you can follow @masterpiecepbs on Twitter.
Poldark: Scene From Episode 1
"Poldark rides again! A new adaptation of the beloved romance
Why a New Poldark?
"Stars Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Death Comes to Pemberley)
Who is Ross Poldark?
"Series star Aidan Turner explores his character
Poldark: Filming in Cornwall
"Series stars Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson on the series' scenic filming location. Poldark premieres Sunday
