Poldark To Return Next Month

Poldark is to return to BBC One on 4 September, it has been confirmed.

The second series of the drama sees Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson return as the hero Ross Poldark and his wife Demelza, respectively.

Other characters appearing in the new series include John Nettles as Ray Penvenen who is one of the county's wealthiest landowners, and Gabriella Wilde as his niece Caroline Penvenen, a beautiful but manipulative heiress. Hugh Skinner has been cast as Unwin Trevaunance, a prospective MP who hopes that Caroline (and her fortune) will consent to marry him. But does Caroline's heart lie elsewhere?

Returning for a second outing will be Heida Reed as Elizabeth, Kyle Soller as Francis, Ruby Bentall as Verity, Jack Farthing as George Warleggan and Luke Norris as Dr Dwight Enys; while Beatie Edney and Phil Davis return as Jud Paynter and his wife Prudie. Robin Ellis also reprises his role as the Reverend Halse.

The newest season of Poldark takes place in 1790. Ross Poldark must fight for his freedom when George Warleggan tries to have him hanged as a revolutionary. While Francis and Elizabeth watch on in horror, can Demelza save her husband from himself?

Crippled by debts, Ross and Francis try to heal old wounds by joining forces in a new mine free of the Warleggans. Ross and Elizabeth are brought together by unforeseen circumstances, and Ross risks everything in a desperate smuggling venture. Meanwhile, the fate of the Poldarks is tied to Dr Dwight Enys and young heiress Caroline Penvenen in unexpected ways.

Writer Debbie Horsfield said: "The stakes are higher, the rivalries keener and characters go to greater lengths to get what they want. Ross continues to be a man of action, with his usual recklessness and headstrong risk-taking, but Demelza is no less proactive, often stepping in to save the day when Ross has overstepped the mark."

Karen Thrussell, Executive Producer, added: "Series two feels darker both in tone and content. Ross starts the series with the threat of the hangman's noose and makes some risky decisions that threaten his and Demelza's way of life at Nampara. Once again, Debbie Horsfield's unique talent has combined exciting dramatic events with exquisite character development. We cover book three, and half of book four, from Winston Graham's Poldark saga in series two and the content is so explosive that we needed to expand the run to 10 episodes."

Poldark is filmed on location in Cornwall and the Bristol area and at The Bottle Yard Studios.

A third series will go into production this autumn.

Based on the novels by Winston Graham, Poldark returns for a 10-part second series. It has been written and adapted for television by Debbie Horsfield and is directed by Will Sinclair, Charles Palmer and Richard Senior. It is produced by Margaret Mitchell and the executive producers are Debbie Horsfield, Karen Thrussell and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for the BBC.

Image: BBC Media Centre.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre

(JP)