Bath School Interior Used for Poldark's Assembly Rooms

Poldark is filming at Prior Park College in Bath today and our theory is that it is being used as the setting for the Assembly Rooms in Truro because:

Prior Park College has some lovely rooms such as the Academy Hall which would make a wonderful Assembly Room.

Photo via PriorParkCollege.com

Historical musician Chris Green who has a few days of filming for Poldark, is on set. (And  it looks like they're using the gym for make-up.)

Photo via @chrisgreenuk

And finally, the weather is awful in Bath today, so they're almost certainly filming internal shots.

What do you think?

Stunt Co-ordinator Abbi Collins Joins Poldark

Abbi Collins via abbi collins.com

Leading stunt professional Abbi Collins has joined the Poldark crew as stunt co-ordinator.

Abbi has worked on many award-winning films and television shows such as  The Selfish Giant, Misfits, and Doctor Who as a stunt co-ordinator, fight arranger and horse master.  Recently she worked on BBC2's The Wrong Mans.

On her website Abbi says, "Whilst specialised action usually requires stunt performers, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job as a Stunt Co-ordinator is working with actors of all ages to facilitate their involvement in action sequences." 

She adds, "Actors and horses, plus a film crew are a recipe for disaster unless a good, safe horse is supplied, along with a knowledgeable teacher and horse master. It is a situation which must be taken very seriously by production and the correct professionals engaged." 

To bring Abbi's point home we only have to turn to the incident that occurred during the Poldark filming in Corsham recently when an ox was spooked as Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark) rode by. Bystander @Dorina335 told Mammoth Screen on Twitter that the horse was startled but the ox was quickly calmed down and Aidan rode away. This incident shows us just how quickly things have the potential to go wrong without the right training for horse and rider.

Photo by @Dorina335

Mark Atkinson who is supplying the ridden horses for Poldark told me that this is the fifth job they have done with Abbi and that she is the "ultimate professional" who listens to the actors and horse master and works together with them. We'll have more from Mark and the horses on Poldark in the coming days.

Meanwhile you can have a look at some of Abbi's work in her showreel here.

Aidan Turner's Birthday Party Brought to you by Mammoth Screen: Party Animals

Definition of the best production company in the world: Mammoth Screen Party Animals

Definition of Awesome – Mammoth Screen

Mammoth Screen is co-hosting a surprise birthday party for Aidan Turner and his fans. These wonderful people are going to do a cake & ice cream party for Aidan’s 31st b-day and present birthday cards and presents from the fans at this celebration. Mammoth Screen is also going to take photos of Aidan opening his presents and of course blowing out his candles. This is so awesome as not only will the fans know Aidan has received their b-day cards & gifts, they’ll get to see photos of him opening them. This is actually beyond awesome!

Definition of Brilliant – Mammoth Screen

Mammoth Screen is one of the top independent television production companies in the UK and Ireland. They are also the smartest group of people in the world because Aidan Turner was their one and only choice to play the dynamic Ross in their reboot of the iconic Poldark series. Mammoth Screen’s other productions include Endeavour, Blandings, Monroe and Parade’s End. It’s all brilliant!

Definition of Fan Friendly – Mammoth Screen

When Mammoth Screen was approached to put on this party, one of the first thing they said, was they were fans of Aidan too. Like his many fans, they know Aidan to be a very sweet person, and they are willing to go out of their way to make him and his fans happy. From day one they’ve approached this event with an “of course” & “we can do that” attitude. Not only are they going to do have this party for Aidan’s fans, they’ll put on their “marigolds” and do the cleanup afterwards. It can’t get any better than this!

Definition of Praise Worthy – Mammoth Screen

Any questions about Aidan’s surprise party should be directed to the Aidan Turner Forever fan site at: aidanturnerforever@gmail.com  Please don’t email Mammoth Screen with inquiries as they’ll be busy baking the cake, but feel free to tweet them @MammothScreen with praise for their kindness, generosity and AWESOMENESS. 

Party Details:  

If you are sending a gift, please email the surprise party co-host Aidan Turner Forever as they are keeping track of the number of gifts so Mammoth Screen will know how large a storage area to provide. The fans only need to email ATF for gifts, it's not necessary to send a message if you are sending a b-day card. The email address is aidanturnerforever@gmail.com 

Please also be considerate of Mammoth Screen and make sure your gifts are not too large or too heavy. So don’t do a bust of Aidan or box up and mail yourself. Lets say under 5lbs, as a guide – this is just a guide, not a requirement. The only requirement is to have fun! All cards & gifts MUST arrive at the UK address below by June 16th.

Party Location:

Please mail your b-day cards and gifts to this special one-time address:

Special Events (BS)

C/O Mammoth Screen (Poldark) Ltd

The Bottleyard Office BY01

Whitchurch Lane

Bristol, UK BS14 0BH

New Picture of Ross Poldark

Picture via PoldarkTV

Here's the latest picture of  Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark via the Official Poldark Facebook page. What a gorgeous photo.

First Look at Warren Clarke as Charles Poldark

Photo by Nick Kenyon

Here's our first look at Warren Clarke as Charles Poldark, Ross's uncle, in the new BBC drama Poldark. What a great pic!
Poldark is set to air in the UK and US in 2015.

Crystal Leaity Gets into Role

The lovely Crystal Leaity posted these pics of herself preparing to play Margaret Vosper in Poldark. Aren't they super - and fun too!

Why not follow Crystal on Instagram and Twitter 

Lol! 18th century underwear... Love my job 😊❤️😁#costume #job #work #love #happy #acting #saucy

18th century selfie! 😘 #selfie #butfoestletmetakeaselfie#acting #filming #hair #makeup

I'm back!! 🐸 favourite place in the world. Makeup truck... Heaven! 😍 #makeup #filming #makeover #hair #happy#amazing #fav #heaven #acting #selfie #vintage

Eleanor Tomlinson is Demelza!

EE British Film Awards via Eleanor-Tomlinson .com

Eleanor Tomlinson is Demelza in the new BBC drama Poldark.

Eleanor is the daughter of singer Judith Hibbert and actor Malcolm Tomlinson. She was born in London but was brought up in Beverley, Yorkshire. As a child she dreamed of becoming a vet but one day, after watching her father on the set of The Bill she says, "I looked around and saw my dad having a great time and how much fun he could have experimenting with his character and everything that went into it. I just fell in love with it."

Eleanor played Isabelle in Jack and the Giant Slayer and Isabel Neville in The White Queen.

In an interview with the Yorkshire Post in 2010 she says, "I know that I have been incredibly lucky. All I want for the future is to be able to do some really classic work which I really enjoy doing and have a lot of fun. You never know what's round the next corner." Indeed you don't,

Richard Harrington Cast as Captain Andrew Blamey

Photo from Hinterland via BBC Wales

Welsh actor Richard Harrington will play Captain Andrew Blamey in Poldark 2015. Andrew Blamey is the quick-tempered captain who Verity Poldark falls in love with.

Richard Harrington played Gabriel Cochrane in Lark Rise to Candleford. Among his many other credits are Bleak House, Spooks and most recently Hinterland. He won a BAFTA Cymru Award for best actor for his role in the film Dayfdd in 1995.

He was recently invited by BBC Wales to share his musical memories on Radio Wales and here is his playlist.

Richard plays the drums and is also a runner, having competed in several marathons since first running the London Marathon in 2007. This year he took part in the Marathon des Sables which is ranked by the Discovery Channel as the toughest footrace on earth. Yes! It goes through the Sahara. Richard ran with Mark Lewis Jones to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. You can donate here

You can follow Richard on Twitter at @richarrington

Happy Birthday, Julian Seager

Julian Seager via Swathfansite 

Happy Birthday, Julian Seager!

Julian plays the landlord of the Red Lion in Poldark..
Julian may have come to acting later in life than most, with a part as a Russian Zombie Killer in World War Z, but he must be one of our busiest actors with small parts in over 50 productions since 2011. Honestly, it's almost hard to think of a production he hasn't been in! He's appeared on TV in Atlantis, Being Human, Doc Martin, Dr Who, Broadchurch, Merlin and many more. He's been in films like World's End, Rush, Skyfall, Thor2, The Muppets Most Wanted and Les Miserables - not to mention films not yet released like Guardians of the Galaxy, In the Heart of the Sea and Turner. He plays a leading role in She's Dead which won Best British Film in the Dark Zone Movie Days Festival 2013 in Germany.
You can follow him on Twitter @JulianSeager

Here's wishing Julian a Happy Birthday from Poldarked!

Poldark to Air in US 2015

Photo by Trevoe Porter

Poldark is to air in the US in 2015. It will be shown on Masterpiece on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

The original series of Poldark with Robin Ellis was shown on Masterpiece in the 1970s and was a big hit. The new series stars Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) as Ross Poldark and Eleanor Tomlinson (The White Queen) as Demelza and is adapted from the books by Winston Graham.

Masterpiece's Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton announced the return of Poldark at the PBS Annual Meeting on 14 May, 2014. She said, "I'm very proud to say that after 44 years, MASTERPIECE (sic) continues to make news, win awards, and attract new audiences, How many other television series have the great good fortune to make that claim?"  

Casting Rumour: Victoria George-Veale to Join Poldark

Updated 4 June 2014: Poldark has been removed from Victoria's page of StarNow so it seems she isn't going to be in it after all.

Victoria George-Veale via IMDB

Welsh actor Victoria George-Veale looks set to join the cast of Poldark, although her role has yet to be announced.

Victoria trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She is a dancer as well as an actor and  ran her own dance school at the age of 16. She is also a former Miss British Empire.Victoria has several films to her credit with Spyfall, Shooting Clerks and Mobster: A Call for the New Order all due for release in 2014 and 2015. She'll also be appearing in Doctor Who later this year.

You can follow Victoria on facebook.

Victoria plays a wide age range from 16 to 30 years old. Who do you think she'll be cast as in Poldark?

Poldark Meets Poldark

Update: Since writing this Robin Ellis has revealed the location on his blog, so I can now say that the picture was taken at the loggia at Horton Court, Horton,Gloucestershire


Mammoth Screen have just released this darling picture of the original and the new Ross Poldark together. Aidan Turner plays Ross in the new BBC drama but the original Ross, Robin Ellis, has also been cast, this time as Reverend Halse.

Here they are taking a break from filming in Gloucestershire.

As a tease, here is where they are sitting. Lovely isn't it?

ITV Studios Global Entertainment to Distribute Poldark

Photo by Trevor Porter

Poldark will be distributed worldwide by ITV Studios Global Entertainment. Earlier today C21 Media announced that ITVSGE had secured the international distribution rights and ITV have just confirmed it with a tweet saying:  @itvstudios So excited to be distributing this! MT @bbcpress: first look at #AidanTurner as Ross #Poldark in our new adaptation

Poldark fans all over the world can breathe a sigh of relief at some news of international distribution for the drama.

BBC Picture Gives Us Captain Poldark in Uniform

Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark BBC

 It's good to see Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) in the uniform of an 18th century captain in this, the first picture of him released on 8 May by the BBC for their remake of the 1970's drama Poldark.

The Winston Graham novel opens with Ross in a carriage returning to Cornwall from the American War of Independence but last night Robin Ellis, who played Ross in the original series, tweeted that the carriage scene will not be in the latest adaptation. Robin plays the Reverend Halse in the new drama.

With that in mind, it's great to see from this picture and others from the filming in Corsham last week that we will still have a chance to admire Ross in uniform.

Poldark will air on the BBC in 2015.

Visit Cornwall Says Poldark's Association 'Will be 100 per cent with Cornwall.'

Port Isaac in Cornwall via Visit Cornwall

Two months will be spent  filming Poldark in Cornwall this year but despite this, many comments have been made on social networking sites about the use of Wiltshire rather than Cornish locations for Trenwith House (Chavenage House), Sawle Church (Chavenage Chapel) and Truro (Corsham).

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall however,says the filming in other locations will not affect the long-term impact Poldark will have on Cornwall's tourism industry. Mr Bell told the Western Morning News, “As far as the immediate economic opportunity is concerned with some of the production being filmed outside the county, it is a shame to miss out on that. But generally speaking the programme’s association will be 100 per cent with Cornwall, so that will be the viewer perspective - even if some of it is filmed elsewhere.

“We will benefit from a boost, definitely. The beauty of something like Poldark is twofold: one is the immediate effect the programme will have - the other thing is that hopefully there will be another series off the back of it.” He added that it was continuity that brought in the tourists, saying of Rosamunde Pilcher and Doc Martin, "People watch the first series, then watch the second one - and then they really get into the place. It builds up over two or three years.

“We would like to have seen them film all of Poldark down here, but the production crew is based in Bristol so it’s about cost. But we are pleased a lot of it is being filmed down here - the shots of the coast do it for us and obviously the mining is very much a Cornish thing.”

Addendum: It seems that it was the interior of Chavenage Chapel that was used as Sawle Church for filming, rather than the exterior.

Nampara Will be in Cornwall

Nampara in the Original TV Series

Poldark's publicist Lisa Vanoli has confirmed that the Cornish landscape will play an important part in the new BBC drama and that Ross Poldark's house, Nampara, will be in Cornwall.

In an interview with the West Morning News Lisa says, “We are filming a huge amount in Cornwall - substantially more than in the original TV series.

“All our key landscapes will be in Cornwall - including Ross Poldark’s house - but occasionally you have to go outside an area. Unfortunately. in Truro it just wasn’t possible, which is why we’ve had to film some street scenes in Corsham.

“But your Cornish readers won’t be disappointed - the Cornish people will be seeing us a lot. We will be filming in Cornwall in June and July - and we will be there a lot of the time, I can assure you.”

She added, “But as far as I’m concerned it is very much about transparency - the fact is that we will be filming all our key landscapes in the county.

“We will, for example, be shooting Ross Poldark’s house ‘Nampara’ in Cornwall - although at this time I cannot go into the actual details of our shooting schedules.”

I'm so glad to hear that Nampara is in Cornwall and can't wait to see it!

Today's Pictures From the Poldark Set in Corsham

Here are some pictures from the Poldark filming in Corsham today. A huge thank you to @Dorina335 for all the pics.

Aidan Turner (Ross) enjoying being titivated

Aidan having hair and makeup touchups

Aidan Turner (Ross) preparing for a market scene

Aidan (Ross) with director Ed Bazalgette

Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark and Heida Reed as Elizabeth

Here are some of great pics of Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark. The pics are from the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald which has been covering the filming in Corsham today.  Thanks to photographer Trevor Porter.

It's great to see what Ross's scar looks like!

Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark)

Aidan Turner as Ross

Ross (Aidan Turner) and Elizabeth (Heida Reed)

And here's Heida Reed as a not very happy Elizabeth

More Cast Pics from the Set of Poldark in Corsham

Here are pictures of Eleanor Tomlinson (Demelza), Heida Reed (Elizabeth) and Aidan Turner (Ross) filming in Corsham today. All pics via @Dorina335

Aidan Turner Steps into Corsham as Poldark - First Pic

Aidan Turner made his first appearance on the Poldark set in Corsham today dressed as an 18th century soldier.

These two pictures were taken by Dorina who is in Corsham to watch the filming these next few days. You can follow Dorina on Twitter @Dorina335 .

Rumour of Filming in Corsham in October

Update: Corsham Council have told me there will be no more Poldark filming there this year.

Could there be more filming of Poldark in Corsham later this year? This holiday cottage certainly thinks so. They're advertising that there will be further filming in October.
We wait with baited breath!

Many thanks to Aidan Turner Forever for sending me this.

Robert Daws

Robert Daws via IMDB

Robert Daws plays Dr Thomas Choake in the new BBC adaptation of Poldark

Robert is no stranger to taking on the role of doctor having played Dr Gordon Ormerod in the television series The Royal from 2003 to 2011. It seems he makes an excellent doctor as IMDB quote him as saying, "The lady behind the cheese counter at my local supermarket thinks I'm the real thing and continually asks me for advice about her ailments, primarily her battle with her varicose veins. Not what you want to talk about when you're ordering a quarter pound of Stilton!"

Robert's other credits include Casualty, Roger Roger and Outside Edge for which he was nominated Best Actor in the British Comedy Awards. Later this year he can be seen playing  Professor John Chessman in the horror film The Unfolding. One of Robert's favourite appearances was on the last episode of A Bit of Fry and Laurie where he played the Last Post on his own trumpet.

Robert was brought up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He can often be heard on the radio, his most recent recording being Incredible Women by Rebecca Front and Jeremy Front. He has also written a crime novella The Rock.

Come September Robert will be Touring the UK in The Perfect Murder. See it if you can!