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| Pic credit Official Poldark |
Great news!
Aidan Turner has given a commitment to play Ross in the new BBC drama Poldark for the next five years, providing the BBC gives the go-ahead to future seasons. Filming for the second series, should it run, is planned for September 2015.
One of the things that has concerned me about the new production is the BBC's ongoing commitment to it, so I was delighted to hear this news coming out of the Poldark panel at the Penzance Literary Festival yesterday. Debbie Horsfield, the screen writer and Karen Thrussell the executive producer for Poldark made up the panel. Poldark fan @purplehare9 was there and she told me the news about the commitment.
As we all know, the BBC isn't flush with money and, unlike American TV stations, often uses relatively short contracts. Aidan giving a five year commitment to Poldark shows real belief in the drama by both the actor and the BBC. Those of us who remember Aidan leaving Being Human at quite short notice can feel reassured by it.
There is, however, a sting in the tale. As @purperhare9 pointed out, there are twelve books to cover and, as Debbie Horsfield says she covers two in a series, that will leave us two books short.
So c'mon BBC. Make it six years!
Update: This story was confirmed on 20 August, 2014 by Jo Booth for Poldark who told me:
What was said
at the Penzance Literary Festival is that Aidan has committed himself to 5
series. This of course assumes that 5 series will be produced! The BBC
will only decide on future series after each series has gone out. While it's
hoped that Poldark will indeed run for 5 series, there is
absolutely no guarantees at this stage.
Even 5 years is a HUGE commitment for an actor. I hear rumors that Hollywood is interested in him. I wonder if this is the career he'll choose, to be less of a major star and more of an actor in well-made productions. He's said he's a character actor and this would give him more of an opportunity to do good roles than Hollywood would offer with their constant eye on making hundreds of millions of dollars and the hell with their actors.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that Aidan left Being Human on short notice. He told them in October of 2010. They had plenty of time to write him out of the series or keep him and schedule the next season around the lengthy breaks in The Hobbit's shooting schedule. In fact Being Human started production on their 4th season the same week The Hobbit went on hiatus for almost 3 months. I think if the producers of Being Human had felt Aidan was as essential to their series as the Sherlock producers did with Benedict Cumberbatch, then Being Human would still be on air today.
ReplyDeleteWonderful....good for you
ReplyDeleteWell, because this series is short, only 8 episodes. He won't be monopolized by the series and he should have several months (at the very least 6) to go and do other things. But everyone is right, this is a HUGE commitment and testament to how much he's committed to this series!
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. How can this be "confirmed as of 20 August 2015" when it's still March?
ReplyDeleteOops! That shoukd say 2014. Thanks for saying.
ReplyDelete