'And Then There Were None' Interview with Aidan Turner

The BBC has released interviews with the cast of And Then There Were None ahead of the programme's release this Christmas on BBC One. Aidan Turner talks about his character, Philip Lombard, a shady amoral character, very different from the heroic Ross Poldark. Aidan also reveals he loves the clothes of the era and that he'll be using his native Irish accent, as well as talking about the thrill of being part of such a stellar ensemble cast.

Picture via @AgathaChristie

Here's the interview from the BBC Media Centre Press Pack:

For Aidan Turner the prospect of playing a character who is the antithesis of Cornish hero Ross Poldark was a great start.

"Coming from someone like Ross Poldark to Philip Lombard is like going to the other side of the spectrum with characters really. So it was a nice change to play somebody who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself. " A self-proclaimed Agatha Christie fan he says: "It’s a very clear story with unique, independent characters who have their own agendas, so from the offset its very clear what’s happening even though there is ambiguity about the plot. It’s a genre I haven’t really done before so everything appealed to me for this one. It is a rite of passage for British actors to be in an Agatha Christie adaptation and this is the quintessential Christie story albeit a really dark one.”

Discussing his character in And Then There Were None, Aidan reveals Lombard is an Irish mercenary with a shady past. "He enters the house and is the only one carrying a pistol and as the writer, Sarah Phelps said there’s nothing more frightening than an Irish guy in 1939 with a gun! He’s totally shady. He’s kind of amoral as well and has a complete disregard for humanity. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do, I wouldn’t put anything past him. He’s a nasty kind of guy and you get the impression he’s done some horrible things in his life and he’s not really regretful of any of them.”

Aidan was particularly impressed with the 1930’s set. “Once you walk onto set and it’s dressed, it just looks immaculate and beautiful and very much of that time. You feel like you’re in that world."

He also enjoyed the era’s attire, so much so that he claims; “We’ve got it wrong now, wearing jeans and boots and all the rest of it, all this low-waisted stuff and t-shirts, somewhere along the way I think we’ve got it slightly wrong. There were these highwaisted pants I was wearing for a lot of the show and they’re really comfortable and quite flattering!"

Picture from Mammoth Screen via Daily Mail

But the element that impressed Aidan the most was the line up of his fellow ensemble cast. "I was on set with all these amazing actors who I have revered and looked up to for years. It was exciting, these are people I really wanted to work with and being part of an ensemble.

And Then There Were None is a Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Productions programme for BBC co-produced with A+E Television Networks. RLJ Entertainment has taken US DVD and DTO rights. A+E Networks will handle international sales under the A+E Studios International banner.

"And Then There Were None" DVD

Great news!  Not only does And Then There Were None  hit TV screens this Christmas but afterwards, lovers of the show won't have to wait long to own it.

Distributors RLJ Entertainment told Poldarked that   "... the release date for the DVD of Then There Were None is 4th January.  It will be available to pre-order in December...from  AcornDVD."

The BBC adaptation of  this Agatha Christie novel has a terrific cast which includes Aidan Turner, Douglas Booth, Anna Maxwell Martin,  Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens and Sam Neill. The novel has been adapted for television by Sarah Phelps ( The Casual Vacancy, The Crimson Field, Being Human) and the drama is produced by Mammoth Screen (Poldark).

And Then There Were None will be broadcast in the UK in three hour-long episodes over the Christmas period. The show will air in the US on Lifetime as a two-part mini-series in 2016.

Here is more And Then There Were None news from Poldarked:

 And Then There Were None Titbits

 First Look at And Then There Were None TV Tie-in

 First Look at And Then There Were None Poster

Video:  And Then There Were None film set



Please remember to credit Poldarked when sharing our news.

News Round -up

• As ever there's been plenty of Poldark news recently. Poldark merchandise continues to come thick and fast in the run up to Christmas. You can now get Poldark jewellery, Poldark jigsaws, Poldark Country colouring books as well as the official calendar, mugs and letter openers, plus The World of Poldark series companion book (see our review here).

Picture from @mammothscreen

• Congratulations to Poldark  screenwriter and producer, Debbie Horsfield, who has won Best Adaptation of a Novel at the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) awards, very well deserved too.

   

Picture by @mammothscreen 

• In other awards news Poldark is up for Best Drama Series or Serial and International Programme Sales at the Broadcast Awards!! Good work team!

• We also got a great insight to being an extra on the set of Poldark from DJ Owen, who let us in on what it's like and what Aidan Turner is like in real life in an interview with Wessex FM. Listen to the interview here.

• If you're missing seeing your favourite actors on screen you can catch Ruby Bentall (Verity) on Saturday evenings in ITV's Jekyll and Hyde, Beatie Edney (Prudie) in The Coroner, on BBC 1 at 2.15 pm weekdays and on iplayer. Alexander Arnold (Jim) will be appearing in Ricky Gervais's David Brent movie, Life on the Road soon. And if it's the main man, Aidan Turner, you're missing you can now buy his BBC shows, Being Human, Desperate Romantics and Poldark at the BBC Store, more here.

• There is also good news on the release of The Secret Scripture, a movie Aidan Turner filming earlier this year, directed by Jim Sheridan. The US distributor had gone into bankruptcy casting the film's future release into doubt. However a financial settlement has now been reached which includes the upcoming release of seven movies, one of which is The Secret Scripture. You can read more here Relativity Media Bankruptcy and we'll bring news of the film's release as we get it.

• Upcoming Agatha Christie drama, And Then There Were None, starring Aidan Turner amongst a stellar cast is in post-production, due to be screened over the Christmas period in the UK. Mammoth Screen released this picture (below) of the visual effects team hard at work this week. You can read more titbits about And Then There Were None  here. 

Photo by @mammothscreen

• Finally, here's a selection of the best pictures of the week

Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza, photo by @PoldarkTV

Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark, photo by @PoldarkTV

Filming at The Royal Agricultural College, photo by @stroudlife

'The World of Poldark' Review

The World of Poldark will be in many Christmas stockings, it's glossy and full of gorgeous pictures from the show, which although are not new, are reproduced in high quality and it was nice to see them on a page, rather than a screen for a change.

As an avid Poldarker I wasn't expecting there to be a great deal I didn't know, but was pleasantly surprised to find it an interesting read. The interviews with the crew were insightful and I enjoyed reading about the processes they go through to get everything just right. For instance, the care and time that goes into creating the right shades of colour for the costumes to compliment the actor's skin tones, creating the right effect for the character.

There are also snippets from the actors, including Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson, talking about their characters, as well as background on the novels and TV adaptation. I actually found the interviews with many of the supporting cast more interesting as they contained things I hadn't seen before. The book also explains the history of the period and a little more about Georgian life, which helps the reader to understand what drove the characters on screen and why some things were the way they were. It also highlights what a tough life it was back then, the restricted position of women and how the political upheaval of the age affected Cornish life.

Each chapter introduces us to an episode of Poldark, using the story in each episode as a springboard to explore the historical context of the events in the episode and what goes on behind the scenes. One of the most interesting passages is the interview with the production designer, Catrin Meredydd. But all topics are covered, from the rise of Methodism to mining, the real life basis for the Carnmore Copper Company and the Warleggans, to the care and detail that goes into dressing the sets, everything from food to flowers is carefully considered. Having historian, Hannah Greig, on board to advise everyone involved in the production was clearly essential in order to bring the authenticity of Winston Graham's world to life. History fans will find much to enjoy in passages about the social and political history  of Britain, and Cornwall in particular, at the time.

If you're after extensive new interviews with Aidan Turner or bags of pictures you haven't seen before you won't find them, but if you want to find out more about how the show was made, what's involved in a production like this from the people who work on set, and learn a bit about the historical roots of Poldark, all in one glossy package, it's well worth asking Santa for.

The World of Poldark is published by Pan Macmillan and cost £6.99 on Amazon.

Buy The World of Poldark here

All photos by @poldarked 

DJ Owen Talks About Filming Poldark and Aidan Turner

Listen to Owen's account here

DJ Owen from Wessex Radio is also a film extra. In this short interview he talks about his recent adventures on Poldark and about spending time with Aidan Turner.

http://cml.sad.ukrd.com/audio/456154.mp3

'Poldark' S2 to Air Autumn 2016

Mammoth Screen

The speculation is finally over!
Official Poldark have announced that Poldark S2 is scheduled for Autumn 2016 in the UK and Poldarked has had this confirmed by Poldark's publicist.
Responding to an enquiry Official Poldark tweeted:

@madamyez There is no official release date yet, but it is scheduled to air in the Autumn of 2016 :)

— Official Poldark (@PoldarkTV) November 7, 2015 

There is no news as yet of air dates around the world, but we'll keep you posted.

"And Then There Were None" Titbits

And Then There Were None promises to be one of the best shows on TV this Christmas. The popular Agatha Christie novel, adapted for TV by Sarah Phelps, boasts a stellar cast that includes Charles Dance, Sam Neill and, of course, Aidan Turner. Talking about ATTWN to Worldscreen Joel Denton of A+E Networks says,  “I’m very excited about it. It’s very dark, very mysterious, and it offers a contemporary take even if it’s in period. The way it’s written is very different. It really brings Agatha Christie to a new audience and [presents the material] in a new way.”

Glimpses of  Aidan as Philip Lombard in recent BBC Drama trailers have certainly caught our attention, but there are other Poldark connections to ATTWN too!

• ATTWN was filmed in Cornwall.  Shooting was spotted at Holywell Bay, Mullion Cove and Kynance Cove during the summer.

• Mammoth Screen are the production company for both dramas with Damien Timmer and Karen Thrussell the executive producers.

• ATTWN's line producer  Roopesh Parekh  is co-producer on Poldark Series 2. Roopesh's other credits include the second series of  BBC's  The Hollow Crown. In addition, crew members Gareth Bull (sound), Sophie Kenny (runner) and Victoria Bate (editor) work on both shows

Here's a little look behind the scenes.

Burn Gorman Photo: Chris Georgas

Tent used for filming  Photo: Chris Georgas

House exterior inside the tent Photo: Chris Georgas

Portable blood pools Photo Paul Chahidi

Aidan Turner with make up designer Marella Shearer

Please remember to credit Poldarked when sharing our posts.

BBC Releases Aidan Turner's Dramas and More!

Fabulous news!  

Aidan Turner's shows, Being Human and Desperate Romantics are now available to buy online through BBC iplayer and the  BBC Store.   So, if you missed them the first time round, now you can catch up!.

And that's not all! The BBC has made many of it's shows, new and old, available.  The new Poldark is there as is Pride and Prejudice.  There are lots of popular classics and some previously unavailable ones too, according to Metro , with the promise of more to come.

Well done BBC!

Poldark Filming Begins at Great Chalfield

Gabriella Wilde Photo: Trevor Porter

Last week's rumours of Poldark filming at Great Chalfield Manor near Bradford on Avon were realised today, when crew and cast arrived for three days of filming.

Photo: National Trust

According to the Gazette and Herald filming will take place in the gardens and grounds of the manor as well as inside the house. One event being filmed is a party in the Great Hall.

As yet, it has not been revealed which house from Poldark novels Great Chalfield Manor stands in for but it may well be Killewarren, home of the Penvenen's.  Certainly Gabriella Wilde, who plays Caroline Penvenen, was spotted there today.

The Great Hall Photo: National Trust

Filming has also have been taking place in the
nearby village of Neston, much to the delight of Sir James Fuller, owner of the Neston Estate.

Secretary of the Holt magazine said: “I have seen a lot of people come through here to the estate, hoping to catch a glimpse of any actors and occasionally you see the cast walking around in costume.”

Photo: Trevor Porter

Photo: Trevor Porter

'Poldark' Nominated for RTS Craft Awards

via 3sixtymedia

Congratulations to Poldark on receiving two nominations in the Royal Television Society Craft and Design awards 2015.

The RTS Craft and Design Awards recognise many of the skills involved in programme making. Poldark has been nominated in the categories for Costume Design - Drama and Make Up Design - Drama according to The Stage. The nominations in these categories are:

Costume Design - Drama

Marianne Agertoft, Poldark, Mammoth Screen for BBC One

Amy Roberts, Cilla, Group M Entertainment/ITV Studios for ITV

Daiva Petrulytė, The Eichmann Show, Feelgood Fiction for BBC Two

Make Up Design - Drama

Jacqueline Fowler, Poldark, Mammoth Screen for BBC One

Natalie Pateman, Tina Brown, Jessica Wenden & Liz Philips, Critical - Series 1, Hat Trick Productions for Sky1

Lesley Brennan, The C-Word, BBC Drama Production London for BBC One

Follow the link for a full list of nominations.

The awards will be presented to the winners at RTS Awards Dinner on Monday 30 November, 2015 at the London Hilton. 

First Look at "And Then There Were None" TV Tie-In

The  TV tie-in edition of the Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None is now available for pre-order.

This new edition has been produced by Harper Collins to coincide with the BBC adaptation of And Then There Were None, starring Aidan Turner, which airs in the UK at Christmas.  The paperback is available from 3 December, 2015 in the UK, priced £7.99 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon and from The Book Depository for £7.15 with free worldwide delivery.

'Poldark' Series 1 Scripts Available for Pre-order

Back in June we mentioned that the rights to publish the scripts for Poldark Series 1 and 2 had been acquired by Pan Macmillan. We're now delighted to announce that Poldark The Complete Scripts Series 1 will be available in February 2016 and can be pre-ordered now.

Here's what the publisher says:

Delve deeper into the hit BBC drama starring Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark and Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza. Collecting together Debbie Horsfield's original scripts, this volume allows you to relive the greatest moments from the first series, from Poldark's initial homecoming to the series' dramatic close. This is the perfect accompaniment for fans of the series and gives a unique insight into how the show was visualized.

Poldark: The Complete Scripts - Series 1 will be available in paperback on 25 February, 2016 price £14.99. It can be pre-ordered though Amazon in the UK  (in the US http://www.amazon.com/Poldark-Complete-Scripts-Series-1/dp/1509814655) 

 Thanks to Teresa Michalski for the news that it's available from The Book Depository with free worldwide delivery.