Awards, Awards, Awards! This week Poldark has been topping the Radio Times Reader Awards winning Best TV Moment 2016 (Ross in the bath tub) , Best Drama (Poldark S2) , Best Actor (Aidan Turner), Best Actress (Eleanor Tomlinson), Best Newcomer (Gabriella Wilde) and TV Star 2016 (Aidan Turner). Other awards this year include:
BAFTA Radio Times Audience Award We spoke to Luke Norris (Dwight Enys) soon after Poldark won this award and he told us what a thrill it was to be at the BAFTA's for the first time and to win!
Our exclusive photos from the filming, MCM Comic Con, Monte Carlo Film Festival and BFI preview screening.
Reaching 1.2 million hits on Poldarked.com! Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this.You are stars! We enjoy all the artwork, photo edits and witty comments you share with us and love being a part of the Poldark fandom.
Ed Bazalgette directed the first four episodes of Poldark series one. In an interview with Radio Times he talks about the challenge in getting a new series off the ground and, of course, about the famous scything scene.
Radio Times: You directed
the opening episodes of Endeavour, Poldark and Doctor Who spin-off Class. What
particular challenges or freedoms are there for a director in getting a
brand-new series off the ground? Ed Bazalgette: In directing opening episodes, you get to set the look and tone of a new
series. Like everything in TV it’s a collaborative process but you’re right in
the middle of it all – it’s a lot more responsibility but allows you more
creative licence. Of course the process is different in each instance and the
key for me is finding my own entry point into the story. Once you find that,
things start to flow. With Poldark, it was seeing the landscape as a character:
understanding how the wild and unpredictable nature of Cornwall – the climate,
the terrain, the sea – had informed the way Winston Graham had created his
characters in the novels and seeing how Debbie Horsfield had threaded that idea
through her scripts. Once I had that, so much fell into place – I loved all the
jokes about “there goes Ross, galloping off on his horse...again”. It kept the
sense of place front and centre throughout those opening episodes where we were
establishing our world.
And coming in
at the start gives you the opportunity to spend more time with the writer.
Debbie Horsfield on Poldark,
You are also
pivotal in the casting, one of the best parts of the process. You’re at the
start of prep, a million decisions to be made – there’s so much on your plate.
But hearing the script come to life, each actor bringing their own
interpretation, interrogating each line, never fails to inspire me. It’s like
shining light on a brilliant diamond, constantly seeing the script from a fresh
angle, in a new light. You get this real sense of momentum building. It’s
thrilling.
Radio Times: Directing
Poldark series one, you were responsible for Aidan Turner’s famous topless
scything scene, which put many of our readers, and the ladies in our office,
into a lather. Anything you’d like to say about that? Ed Bazalgette: Ha! I love it when a plan comes together! Debbie had written this wonderfully
sensuous scene: she describes Demelza watching Ross from a distance, hidden in
the long grass, seeing her boss very differently after the events of the
previous night – so it was all Demelza’s point of view! This scene that came to
define Poldark, that got everyone talking about Aidan, was actually written
from Demelza’s perspective.
Aidan’s
physique isn’t what I remember from the shoot. When we first recce’d the field
it was perfect. Come the day of filming, cow parsley had shot up everywhere,
Eleanor [Tomlinson] kept disappearing in it, we had to constantly increase the
camera height to allow us to see Aidan and Phil [Davis] over the grass, and I
wanted the late afternoon light so we were racing to get it shot before the sun
set. And of course we did – I think it’s safe to say we got the scene...
Spectacular! Searches for Poldark on eBay.co.uk were up 339% when Aidan Turner appeared in the BBC's And Then There Were None last Christmas says Exchange Wire. Unfortunately, we don't have the actual figures to see what this really means but, for now, let's enjoy the fun of that percentage. Of course, having watched Aidan's terrific performance in And Then There Were None I can only think,,, ...are we surprised?
One has to feel sorry for any drama that has its final episode pushed back by a week so some other event can be shown on TV and that's just what happened to Poldark Series 2 in Australia one Sunday where viewers, tuning in to ABC to learn of Ross and Demelza's fate, were faced with a Crowded House concert and one more week of waiting.
Rather splendidly, when the finale was eventually shown last Sunday, Australian's tuned in in their thousands and episode 10 returned the strongest audience numbers of the season: a cracking 536,000 in the five city metropolitan area according to TVTonight. This is not enough to match the figures for the first series which ranged between 649k (the premiere) and 567k but is a good improvement on the second season's opening of 479k and, interestingly, reflects the finale's performance in the UK too.
Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson filming Poldark
Good news! Poldark has been nominated for a Satellite Award for best television drama series 2016. The Satellite Awards honour outstanding achievements in the fields of cinema, TV and new media. They are awarded annually by the International Press Academy, a global association made up of journalists from all types of media. The IPA will announce the winners at a ceremony on 19 February, 2017 at Century City in Los Angeles.
The other contenders for best television drama are:
American Crime
The Fall
Better Call Saul
The Crown
Mr. Robot
The Americans
The Affair
Aidan Turner in And Then There Were None
Aidan Turner fans will also be delighted to see Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None receive a nomination in the Miniseries/Motion Picture Made for Television category. And Then There Were None, like Poldark, is a Mammoth Screen production, filmed partly in Cornwall.
Do you need more Poldark's Cornwall in your life? Here's something you may not have thought of before: a wall mural for your office or home! Just look at these designs by Wallsauce.
Wallsauce make high quality, easy to install, made to measure murals which come with free delivery to UK and US.
There are a couple of things at the top of my 'Everything About Filming' list that I think are essential to know when visiting a set. One is that it takes a great deal of time and effort to film just a minute of a drama. The other is that the studio can be cold. I mean, really cold. So when I find myself on the way to The Bottle Yard Studios to do a report on the filming of Poldark series three I wrap up warmly and prepare for an intense day.
My visit begins with a look around the Nampara set with floor runner Ben Tabiner. The detail in the rooms is wonderful, although I have to admit my favourite place is the Nampara courtyard, simply because I don't expect it to be there. The studio is vast: honestly, they have a motorhome in there and it looks tiny in so much space. Today they are double-banking which means in the studio next door the second unit are busy filming on the Trenwith set with Heida Reed (Elizabeth) and Jack Farthing (George Warleggan).
I take a seat behind the make-up team where I can watch the action on their monitor as filming on the Nampara set starts. Looking around me I see Aidan Turner (Ross) in one corner thanking a member of the crew. He then walks out of sight and the next time I see him he's standing behind me fiddling with his boots. He stands on one leg and removes a boot for a moment and I'm impressed at just how easily they slip on and off. How do they make them like that?
Aidan is then called on to the set where Eleanor Tomlinson (Demelza) is already seated.
They talk to each other about how the scene fits into the plot so they know how to load their words. Aidan bends his head forward then throws it back to clear the hair from his face, although it's not long before the make-up team arrive to sort him out. He makes some comment that has everyone laughing despite their complaints that it's really too early for jokes.
The actors are sitting side by side and try being further apart then closer together. Aidan says he feels he's, 'Sitting like a cowboy,' and can he cross his legs or will that look odd on camera? Last year for the filming of series two I was told that Aidan and Eleanor would get their scripts at the weekend with any amendments added the night before filming: this on top of a twelve hour day on set, so it's hardly surprising when both actors fluff their lines a bit at the start. But things soon settle down. This scene carries some dramatic news and everyone decides it's a 's**t' moment so, each time Aidan says the last line of the take there's a pause then everyone on set says 'S**iiiit'. It's funny but it perfectly sums up what we, the audience, will be thinking when we eventually get to see it on TV.
At the end of filming the scene, Aidan comes over and watches it back on the make-up team's monitor, a particular habit of his and something we've all seen in photos, although he tells me that, at this stage, there's nothing he can do if he's not happy with it.
The next scene takes place over a meal and this is proving a challenge in itself. Ron Dowling, the stand-by props man, tells me that food is his least favourite prop because it requires so much attention. (How do you make a pot of tea steam for take after take?). He's very hot on health and safety and bins all the food when a scene is over. 'They're always eating at Nampara,' he sighs then adds tongue-in-cheek, 'The props man in the other studio only has a walking stick and some cards to look after.'
Today it's puddings causing the problem. I'm talking with producer Michael Ray when the issue comes up. The crew were making puddings until 4 a.m. but, by the time they're needed, they've flopped and can't be used. This is a bigger problem than it first appears as there's a line in the script that refers to them. Shall they leave it out? Debbie Horsfield is consulted and it's decided the line can remain for, whilst in the eighteenth century 'pudding' was something very particular, there are dishes on the table that represent the modern understanding of the word. And so the line is saved!
Aidan Turner on the set of Poldark S2
Photo: Evie Bowman
During the day cast members Luke Norris (Dwight Enys), and Jack Farthing,(George Warleggan) say 'hello' and I get the chance to talk to producer Roopesh Parekh. Aidan very kindly comes to talk now and again. I ask him about the rape-not-rape scene: it took a day to film and, no, he didn't watch it on TV. When I say that, regardless of the controversy, it is a difficult scene well acted, he looks non-plussed and I fear I may have embarrassed him. But then the conversation moves on to series three and he shows obvious delight in all the action and adventure it involves. You can hear how much he values team work and it's apparent from his behaviour on set that this is so, as I watch him doing a quiz with the make-up team (he seems pleased to come out as age 27!), talking to everyone at the refreshment table as he makes a coffee, and having a laugh with the cameramen.
Filming moves on to the next scene and there's another problem for the props man. Should the letter arriving at Nampara have a seal? While someone goes to check with the production office Ron explains that, if it has a seal then they'll need some 15 letters, one for each take where the letter is opened. I can tell he's hoping for a 'No'.
Back to the scene and I talk to Ron Bailey the sound engineer. He explains how he tries to get the full picture in sound: so in Cornwall he'll have microphones by the waves and in the heather to pick up background noises, as well as the actors voices. In this scene there's a creaking floorboard. The sound of Caroline (Gabriella Wilde) walking across the room seems disproportionately loud to the rest of the scene as her dress rustles and shoes click. And that's with something on the soles to dull the noise. I'm assured it will all be fine by the time it reaches our screens!
The day is drawing to a close but Eleanor still has a scene to shoot. I catch her as I'm about to leave. She's looking amazingly bright and happily has a quick chat before throwing me one of her stunning smiles. Totally disarmed I head out into the night and it's some time before I realise I forgot to ask her that vital fan question. Which side of the bed is she sleeping on in Series Three?
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Congratulations Poldark!
It's one thing to start a TV series with great audience numbers but quite another to end on such a high, yet this is just what Poldark has done!
Last week the final episode of Series 2 brought in the best overnight viewing figures of the season with 5.8 million of us tuning in, that's a 26% share of the TV watching audience and the sort of figures we were seeing for S1 (OvernightsTV). This has now been followed up with a seven day consolidated figure from Barb for episode 10 of 6.9 million* - again, back up to the levels of S1. Poldark was the BBC's eighth most popular programme of the week and it's best performing drama. Episode 9 also did well with 6.7 million, in line with the series 2 premiere on 4 September 2016.
The experts may mull over how much all this is due to the Victoria effect. I just want to say, well done Poldark!
In this first look at Poldark Series Three we see some of the familiar faces who'll be returning and get a glimpse of the new characters Sam and Drake Carne (Harry Richardson and Tom York,) Morwenna Chynoweth (Ellise Chappell), Tholly Tregirls (Sean Gilder), Reverend Osborne Whitworth (Christian Brassington) and Hugh Armitage (Joshua Whitehaouse).
Episode 9 gave Poldark it's best overnight viewing figure this season, reaching for the first time the sort of levels seen for series one. OvernightsTV reported an audience of 5.4 million (24.3%. share), taking the show over the 2014 pre-Poldark average of 5m for this Sunday night slot.
The seven day consolidated figure for episode 8 held up well too and at 6.4m, was the third largest for this series. Poldark was BBC One's second best performing drama of the week after The Missing with 7.1m viewers. Other shows with larger audiences include The Great British Bake Off, Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, Countryfile andEastenders. (Barb figures exclude iplayer)
Viewing figures continued their upward trend in Australia reaching 532k for episode 6 in the five city metro area: a series best, according to TVTonight.
Filmgoers are in for a real treat when Loving Vincent hits our screens next year if last night's preview at London's National Gallery is anything to go by.
Loving Vincent is a 'painted animation film, looking into the mystery of Vincent van Gogh's death, told through the medium of his paintings' and it features Poldark stars Aidan Turner as Boatman and Eleanor Tomlinson as Adeline Ravoux.
Writer/director Hugh Welchman began the evening with a ten minute introductory talk about the film in which he gave some fascinating insights such as how, when they started filming, it was generally held that Van Gogh had cut off a third of his ear but how, by the time they finished filming, this belief had changed to one of him cutting off all of his ear, so thousands of the film's pictures had to be altered! During the introduction an audible intake of breath went through the audience when Aidan was mentioned but we only saw a glimpse of him as Boatman. The real delight, however, was Eleanor. The plan was to show an 18 minute excerpt of the film but, due to
Eleanor Tomlinson as Adeline Ravoux
some technical issue, we were treated to half an hour, much of which featured Eleanor. It was really exciting to hear her unmistakable voice coming through and see her expressions, bringing Adeline Ravoux to life. A little on accents here: although the film takes place France, English/Irish accents are used throughout with the exception of Van Gogh who has a Dutch accent. When the film is released in France, however, it will be in French.
One of my fears about Loving Vincent was that a whole feature film in the style of Van Gogh's paintings might be a little overwhelming, so I was pleased to discover that the film-makers have addressed this by painting the flashbacks to when Vincent was alive in a black and white, realistic style. Clever!
The preview evening was one of only two planned for the film. The second will take place at Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam next month but, if you're planning to go, get your tickets early. Last night's event in a theatre that seats 328, was a sell-out!
Here are some photos from the evening which was attended by one of the stars of the film, Douglas Booth, who plays Armand Roulin. Apologies for the poor quality.
The second series of Poldark gained its highest share of the television audience this season with its controversial episode on Sunday. Episode eight won a 23.8% share of viewers according to OvernightsTV. The audience numbers continued their steady week by week climb from a low of 4.7 million for episode five to 5m this Sunday, making it the third most popular episode this series.
Barb's seven day consolidated viewing figures for episode seven, which do not include BBC iplayer, were down slightly on the previous week's from 6.2m to 6.14m. Poldark was eleventh in the ranking of BBC One's shows for the week, with the drama The Missing coming fourth. Other shows in the top ten were The Great British Bake Off, Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, Eastenders and Countryfile.
Catching up with the ratings in Australia for the five city metro area, episode 4 of Poldark was watched by 468k on 16 October rising to 482k for episode 5 last Sunday, its second best showing of the season after episode 3 (502k) according to TVTonight.
This week ITV Studios, the international distributors of Poldark, are promoting the show at MipCom, a global entertainment market where TV programmes are bought and sold.
Aidan Turner as Ross graces the 'Welcome' page of ITV Studios Programme Highlights 2016, with details of the drama appearing a few pages later.
ITV Studios have a rather neat sales 'house' at MipCom this year: the photos of the 'house' being constructed and of it complete are via DesignScene WW.
Here's wishing ITV Studios a terrific week with their sales of Poldark.
With no Victoria on ITV to compete with and a cracking episode of Poldark last night it's good to see the overnight viewing figures edge towards the 5 million mark this week, with an audience of 4.96m which is a 22.4% share of viewers, according to OvernightsTV. The small increase on the previous week (4.9m) means episode 7 was the third most popular of this series so far.
The seven day consolidated figures from Barb (which do not include BBC iplayer) give an audience of 6.16 m which is good news after the previous episode's dip below the 6m mark. While the number of viewers for series two has not matched those for series one, Poldark is BBC One's best performing drama in September and October. This week, for example, the shows with higher audiences were The Great British Bake Off, Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, Eastenders and Countryfile.
NB: We usually take a look at the viewing figures for Australia here too, but they don't seem to be out yet, so we'll catch up with those next week.
You can vote in as many categories as you like, but can only vote for one nominee in each category.
Voting closes at 11 pm on 23 October.
This is the long list of nominees from which the short list will be drawn for a second round of voting, probably in January, 2017. In previous years, votes from the long list and short list have been added together to decide the winners, so please vote now to help Poldark win!
The NT Awards are voted for by the public. The winners will be announced at the National Television Awards ceremony on 25 January, 2017 to be broadcast live on ITV. Tickets for the event at the O2 in London are available from the NTA.
Poldark S2 Episode 6 got the series its third best viewing figures last night with 4.9 million watching, which is a 22.5% share of the audience according to OvernightsTV. Episodes 1 and 4 have had the best audiences so far for the current series with over 5 million apiece.
The seven day consolidated figure for Poldark S2 Episode 5 was 5.95 m, its lowest figure ever. The Series 1 low was 6.8m (episode 7) and Series 2 premiered with 6.7m.
The 7 day consolidated figures are produced by BARB; the data gives the number of people watching a programme on the day plus those who recorded it and played it back within a seven day period. The figures do not include iplayer: these should be available from the BBC at a later date.
Last night's finale of Victoria was watched by 5.5m (25.5% share), the best figure since the premiere according to OvernightsTV. Victoria's seven day consolidated figure for the previous week's episode was 7.3m.
It was good news from Australia where Episode 3 of Poldark S2 aired last night to an audience of 502,000 in the five city metro area, well up from the 453,000 of the previous week (TV Tonight).
Poldark series one and two is to be released as a box set!
The drama will be available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 7 November, the same day the individual second series comes out.
The box set has all 18 episodes plus over two hours of bonus material. It is classified as 12 as it contains moderate violence, threat, injury detail and sex.
The number of people watching Poldark (Episode 5)last night fell back to 4.7 million from the series high of 5.15 m the week before, according to Overnights TV. The figures equaled those for Episode 3 two weeks ago and represented a 21% share of viewers.
The seven day consolidated figure for Poldark S2 Episode 4 was 6.5 m, giving the second best seven day figure this series after the premiere of 6.7m.
The 7 day consolidated figures are produced by BARB; the data gives the number of people watching a programme on the day plus those who recorded it and played it back within a seven day period. The figures do not include iplayer: these should be available from the BBC at a later date.
Victoria, for those interested, had 4.9 m viewers last night and a 22% share according to OvernightsTV. The figure reported usually includes ITV+1 although Overnights did not confirm that in their tweet. Victoria's seven day consolidated figure for the previous week's episode was 7.65m.
Episode 2 of Poldark S2 aired in Australia last night to an audience of 453,000 in the five city metro area, which is a drop from 479,000 the previous week but still left it at Number 10 in the rankings.(TV Tonight). And it was the top drama with the Rugby League Grand Final and the news taking the top five places.
It's always nice to see TV's original Ross Poldark, Robin Ellis, in the current series so look out for him making an appearance as the Reverend Halse in this week's episode.
John Macneill
Photo: Patrick Management
Amelia Clarkson Photo: IMDB
New characters this week are Rosina Hoblyn (Amelia Clarkson) and her father Jackca (John Macneill) who are visited by Dr Enys.Charlie Kempthorne (Ross Green) has his eye on marrying Rosina. Rosina has a role to play throughout the Poldark saga.
Ross Green and Luke Norris
Photo: Official Poldark
