Poldark is a British historical drama television series created and written by Debbie Horsfield. It is based on the novel series of the same name by Winston Graham. The series aired on BBC One for five seasons from March 8, 2015, to August 26, 2019. It adapted the first seven of the twelve novels in the series, which were previously adapted by a BBC television series that aired from 1975 to 1977. Set between 1781 and 1801, the series stars Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark, a British Army veteran of the American Revolutionary War. He returns to his home in Cornwall after learning that his father has died, leaving his estate in ruins. The series follows Ross’s efforts to rebuild his fortune with the help of his maid-turned-wife, Demelza (played by Eleanor Tomlinson), as well as his relationships with his cousins Elizabeth Poldark (Heida Reed) and Francis Poldark (Kyle Soller), and his rival George Warleggan (Jack Farthing).

The first and second seasons adapted two books each. The third season adapted the fifth and first half of the sixth novels. The fourth season adapted the second half of the sixth novel and the seventh novel. The fifth season features an original storyline that ends in 1801, nine years before the events of the eighth novel. The series was produced together by Mammoth Screen and PBS, which aired the series as part of its Masterpiece anthology.

Poldark received good reviews throughout all five seasons, though the number of viewers decreased after the first season. 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. At the 22nd National Television Awards, the program was nominated for Best Period Drama. It also won the Audience Award at the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards.

Plot overview

In 1783, Captain Ross Vennor Poldark returns from the American Revolutionary War to his home in Nampara, Cornwall, after spending three years in the army. When he comes home, he learns that his father, Joshua, has died, his family home is ruined, and he has a lot of debt. Also, the girl he loved when he was young, Elizabeth, is now engaged to his cousin, Francis.

Ross meets a young woman named Demelza Carne at a market in Truro and hires her as a kitchen helper. They fall in love and marry in 1787. Over the next five seasons, the story follows the lives of Ross and Demelza, Elizabeth and Francis, and George Warleggan. It shows how they deal with challenges in their marriages, lost love, the deaths of family members, the birth of their children, and the impact of war on their lives.

Cast

• Aidan Turner as Captain Ross Vennor Poldark
• Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza Poldark (previously known as Carne)
• Ruby Bentall as Verity Blamey (previously known as Poldark)
• Caroline Blakiston as Agatha Poldark (appeared in seasons 1 through 3 and guest appeared in season 4)
• Phil Davis as Jud Paynter (appeared in seasons 1 through 2)
• Beatie Edney as Prudie Paynter
• Jack Farthing as George Warleggan
• Luke Norris as Dr. Dwight Enys
• Heida Reed as Elizabeth Poldark (previously known as Chynoweth and later Warleggan) (appeared in seasons 1 through 4 and guest appeared in season 5)
• Kyle Soller as Francis Poldark (appeared in seasons 1 through 2 and guest appeared in season 4)
• Pip Torrens as Cary Warleggan
• Warren Clarke as Charles Poldark (appeared in season 1)
• Gabriella Wilde as Caroline Enys (previously known as Penvenen) (appeared in seasons 2 through 5)
• John Nettles as Ray Penvenen (appeared in seasons 2 through 3)
• Christian Brassington as Reverend Osborne "Ossie" Whitworth (appeared in seasons 3 through 4)
• Ellise Chappell as Morwenna Carne (previously known as Whitworth and Chynoweth) (appeared in seasons 3 through 5)
• Sean Gilder as Tholly Tregirls (appeared in seasons 3 through 4)
• Harry Richardson as Drake Carne (appeared in seasons 3 through 5)
• Josh Whitehouse as Lieutenant Hugh Armitage (appeared in seasons 3 through 4)
• Tom York as Sam Carne (appeared in seasons 3 through 5)
• Tim Dutton as Joseph Merceron (appeared in season 5)
• Kerri McLean as Catherine "Kitty" Despard (appeared in season 5)
• Vincent Regan as Colonel Edward "Ned" Despard (appeared in season 5)
• Peter Sullivan as Ralph Hanson (appeared in season 5)
• Tristan Sturrock as Captain Zacky Martin (appeared in seasons 1 through 4 and was a main character in season 5)

Production

The series was one of the last projects created by Danny Cohen, who used to work at BBC One. Filming started in Cornwall and Bristol in April 2014. The company that made the series is called Mammoth Screen. Later, ITV bought Mammoth Screen and helped make the second series. The main place where the series was made was The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, England. This location had special sets built for the inside of Poldark’s home, called Nampara, and for The Red Lion pub, starting with the first series. For the fourth series, eighteen sets were built across three studios at The Bottle Yard Studios. These included five sets for different houses (Poldark’s home in Cornwall and London, the Warleggans’ homes in Cornwall and London, and the Whitworth Vicarage) and a small, accurate model of the House of Commons from the past. The studios also had offices for the production team, places to build sets, workshops for making props, and a large group of people who made costumes.

Some scenes were filmed at a farmhouse near St Breward on Bodmin Moor, which shows the outside of Nampara. Other scenes took place at St Agnes Head on the north Cornwall coast, which represents the Nampara Valley, and at Botallack Mine near St Just in Penwith, which is shown as Wheal Leisure, the mine Ross Poldark tries to revive. A shipwreck scene was filmed at Church Cove, Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsula. Town scenes were filmed in Corsham, Wiltshire, and Frome, Somerset. Underground scenes were filmed at Poldark Mine in Cornwall. Some interior scenes were shot at Prior Park College in Bath, Somerset. Charlestown near St Austell was used to stand in for the city of Truro. The Church of St Andrew in Holcombe, Somerset, was used for the parish church of the fictional village of Sawle.

Other filming locations include Porthgwarra on the St Aubyn Estates, Porthcothan beach near Newquay, Bodmin Moor, St Breward, the coast between Botallack and Levant, cliffs near Padstow, Porthcothan near Newquay, Holywell Bay, Porthcurno, Kynance Cove, Predannack Wollas on The Lizard, and Park Head near Porthcurno, all in Cornwall. Chavenage House near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, was used as Trenwith (it was also used in other shows like Wolf Hall and Tess of the d'Urbervilles). Great Chalfield Manor in Wiltshire was used for Killewarren. Filming for the fourth series was reported in Wells, Somerset.

The music for the series was written by Anne Dudley.

The first series was based on the first two books in the Poldark series by Graham. On April 8, 2015, the BBC said they would make a second series, which started on September 4, 2016. This series included stories from the third and fourth books. On July 6, 2016, the BBC announced they would make a third series before the second one began. This third series was based on the fifth book and part of the sixth book. The fourth series began on June 10, 2018, and was based on the second half of the sixth book and the seventh book. Filming for the fifth and final series started in September 2018 and was shown in July 2019. The final series ends the story in the year 1801, which is nine years before the time in the eighth book, The Stranger from the Sea. The fifth series was meant to show what happened to Ross Poldark between the seventh and eighth books, The Angry Tide and The Stranger from the Sea.

Broadcasts and reception

The TV series Poldark first aired in the United States on PBS as part of the Masterpiece series in June 2015. In Australia, it began showing on ABC TV on April 12, 2015, and in New Zealand on Prime TV on April 22, 2015. The series also started broadcasting in 2015 on Manoto 1, a Persian language satellite network based in the UK that reaches areas in Europe and the Middle East. In Sweden, Poldark first aired on SVT in the fall of 2015, and the second season in the spring of 2017. In Finland, the first and second seasons were shown on YLE from October 2016 to February 2017. Norway’s NRK began airing the series in September 2015. In early 2018, the first season was broadcast on NPO KRO-NCRV, a Dutch public television station. In 2019, the second season aired on Saturday evenings. As of 2025, the 2015 version of the series is available to stream on Prime Video and Netflix, along with the 1975 version.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Poldark has an approval rating of 91% based on 23 reviews, with an average score of 7/10. The site’s summary says the series is "like an epic romance novel come to life," with "beautiful scenery" and a "charming, handsome lead." On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 72 out of 100 based on 14 critic reviews, which means it received "generally favorable" feedback.

Mike Hale of The New York Times described the first season as "sweeping, stirring, rousing…good stuff." His colleague, Sarah Seltzer, noted the series provides "panoramic scenery and romance" with "plunging cliffs, green fields, galloping horses, and burning glances." Brian Lowry of Variety praised the lead actor’s "swoon-worthy qualities" and the "gorgeous photography" and "haunting, romantic score." Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter compared the series to "romance novels sold in airports" and said it is "trash done ecstatically well."

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a 100% rating, and the fifth season has an 86% rating. The site’s summary for the fifth season says it offers "emotionally involving period drama" with "exceptional chemistry" and "just the right amount of ridiculousness." Emine Saner of The Guardian called the fifth season "gloriously entertaining" but criticized its "jumpy approach to time" and "ludicrous storylines." She called it an "unwieldy anachronistic beast of a story" but praised the performances of the lead actors and the story’s emotional depth, calling it "the perfect farewell."

Rosamund Barteau, the daughter of Winston Graham (the author of the Poldark novels), said her father would have been "very, very pleased" with the TV adaptation. She noted that the BBC’s version is "beautiful and very true to my father’s words" and that the show’s creator, Debbie Horsfield, did an "excellent job."