Poldark (2015 TV series)

For the books, see Poldark. For the 1970s television series, see Poldark (1975 TV series).

Poldark
Series title over a figure looking out to sea
Genre
Created byDebbie Horsfield
Based onThe Poldark novels
Written byDebbie Horsfield
Starring
ComposerAnne Dudley
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5
No. of episodes43 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Rebecca Eaton
  • Elizabeth Kilgariff
  • Debbie Horsfield
  • Karen Thrussell
  • Damien Timmer
ProducerMargaret Mitchell
CinematographyCinders Forshaw
EditorRobin Hill
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesMammoth Screen
Masterpiece
Original release
Network
Release8 March 2015 (2015-03-08) –
26 August 2019 (2019-08-26)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Poldark is a British historical drama television series created and written by Debbie Horsfield[1][2] and based on the novel series of the same name by Winston Graham. It aired on BBC One for five series from 8 March 2015 – 26 August 2019, adapting the first seven of the twelve novels in the series,[3] which were previously adapted by the 1975–1977 BBC television series.[4] Set between 1781 and 1801, it stars Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark, a British Army veteran of the American Revolutionary War, who returns to his home in Cornwall to find that his father has died, leaving his estate in ruins. The series follows his efforts to rebuild his fortune with the aid of his maid-turned-wife Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) and his relationships with his cousin Elizabeth Poldark (Heida Reed) and rival George Warleggan (Jack Farthing).

The first and second series adapted two books each,[5][6] whilst the third series adapted the fifth and first half of the sixth novels,[7] and the fourth series adapted the second half of the sixth novel and the seventh novel.[8] The fifth series features an original storyline which ends in 1801, nine years before the events of the eighth novel.[9][10][11] The series was a co-production of Mammoth Screen and PBS, who aired the series as part of its Masterpiece anthology.

Poldark sustained positive reviews throughout all five series, although viewership declined from the first series onwards.[12] At the 21st National Television Awards, the series was nominated for Best New Drama and Best Drama Performance and Impact Award (both for Turner), winning the latter.[13] At the 22nd National Television Awards, the programme was nominated for Best Period Drama. It also won the Audience Award at the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards.

  1. ^ "Poldark - Full Cast & Crew". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Poldark". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  3. ^ "A Guide to Winston Graham's Poldark Books". Masterpiece. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  4. ^ Ensor, Josie (9 May 2013). "BBC to challenge Downton with Poldark remake". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  5. ^ Poldark Series 1. PBS. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. ^ Official Poldark [@PoldarkTV] (15 July 2016). "#Poldark Series 2. @BBCOne. 4th Sept 2016. The countdown begins..." (Tweet). Retrieved 20 July 2016 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Lisa Vanoli (6 July 2016). "Poldark will return to BBC One for a third series". BBC Media centre. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  8. ^ BBC One [@BBCOne] (30 May 2018). "Ross Poldark had better look over his shoulders..." Series 4 of #Poldark begins Sunday 10 June at 9pm" (Tweet). Retrieved 31 May 2018 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Lisa Vanoli (10 September 2018). "Filming begins on the fifth and final series of Poldark". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  10. ^ "BBC - Poldark - Media Centre". BBC Media Centre. 14 July 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  11. ^ "Poldark, Season 5 Interview: Writer Debbie Horsfield | Masterpiece | Official Site | PBS". Masterpiece. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Poldark - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  13. ^ Poldark (TV Series 2015–2019) - Awards - IMDb, retrieved 30 August 2023