Sad news for Poldark fans as the adventures of rugged Captain Ross Poldark will draw to a close with its fifth series, set to be broadcast on the BBC next year.
Based on Winston Graham’s novels, Poldark has been a considerable success for the BBC, boosting The Hobbit star Aidan Turner’s appeal both here in the UK and in the US. The series was picked up to air in America on PBS and gathered a substantial following there, too.
The BBC have confirmed that filming on the fifth series is currently underway with Turner and regulars Eleanor Tomlinson, Jack Farthing, Luke Norris, Gabriella Wilde, Ellise Chappell, Harry Richardson, Tom Yorke, and Beatie Edney all returning.
They’ll be joined by newcomers Lily Dodsworth-Evans, Kerri McLean, Sofia Oxenham, Vincent Regan, Peter Sullivan, and Freddie Wise but information about their characters has been scant.
Interestingly enough, series five is set to deviate from Graham’s novels for the first time as the author left a 10 year gap between book seven, The Angry Tide, and eight, The Stranger from the Sea. Poldark has already covered up until book seven and creator Debbie Horsfield has already confirmed the decade long break won’t be included so she’ll be plotting from scratch.
“In The Stranger from the Sea, Winston Graham made many references to developments that happened in the gap years,” Horsfield said. “Much can also be inferred. There are, of course, also historical events and people of the time, both in Cornwall and in London. Series five will draw on all of these to follow the lives of the Poldarks, George Warleggan, the Enyses, and the Carnes in this intervening period.”
We’ll pass on more news about Poldark series five as and when we receive it.