Poldark S4: Luke Norris is Dr. Dwight Enys

Luke Norris as Dwight Enys in Poldark S3. Photo: FarFarAwaySite

Despite his character, Dr. Dwight Enys, being a prisoner of war last series, Luke Norris reveals that shooting scenes for this series was even more gruelling.

‘This series has been arguably harder to film than the last and probably the toughest so far. A lot of that is because the tragedy which Dwight and Caroline (Gabriella Wilde) suffer this series is one that is easier to personally imagine than being a prisoner of war and for that reason they were really tough scenes to film. Also because it is something which is likely that more viewers of the show have been through it felt like there was a greater pressure to get it right and not to misrepresent that experience.’

Luke hints at what is in store for his character and his wife, Caroline, this series.

‘At the end of the last series there is an uneasy truce between them. Things have improved for Dwight and Caroline this series and they embark on something together which is a real joy for Dwight but slightly more conflicting for Caroline. He has been through a lot and has always wanted a quiet life but it hasn’t exactly worked out that way so far. This finally represents an opportunity for that.

‘However, the worst possible thing befalls Caroline and Dwight and they deal with it in very different ways which creates this cavern between them and a distance, both literally and metaphorically as Caroline decamps to London. Dwight arrived in the first series in the hope of making a difference to the community in Cornwall. After some bad decisions along the way he is now in a position where he actually is making a difference. Therefore, to just cut and run now isn’t in his nature and so they spend a while this series trying to work all of that out.’

Luke tells us how Dwight’s friends Ross (Aidan Turner) and Demelza Poldark (Eleanor Tomlinson) help him through this difficult time.

 ‘Part of the reason Ross conceded in the end in going for Westminster is because of the pressure that Dwight, as a friend, put on him as he believes it to be the right thing, to go and be the representative of those constituents. So Ross is helping but from afar. He is there for Caroline, in London. Demelza is effectively keeping the home fires burning for both Ross and Dwight, once Caroline is gone. She has been through similar experiences to what Dwight is going through and knows what it is to be apart from your partner so they get each other through that.’

Luke tells us that it is always exciting, returning to Poldark and discovering what is in store for his character.

‘It is lovely to come back and it is always exciting to see where Debbie (Horsfield) has taken it series on series. I stopped reading the books after the second series because I felt like Debbie was pushing certain characters in different directions and I didn’t want to be influenced by the books so it is always really interesting to find out what she has in mind every year. When you return to a role and you go through so much with that role you definitely become closer to them and them to you and so you start to react naturally in the way they would react to situations.’

Finding out the trajectory of his character isn’t the only thing Luke enjoys about returning to Poldark. He also likes coming back to work alongside his on screen wife, Gabriella Wilde.

‘I love Gabriella - she is great. I am going to visit her and her family out in the country with my family, which will be fun. I have been lucky enough to work with people I get on with and having a connection with someone can only help and it certainly makes going to work nicer. I look forward to filming days where we have a lot of scenes on the call sheet together.’

Source: BBC Media Centre 

Aidan Turner Talks Poldark S4

Eleanor Tomlinson Talks Poldark S4
Poldark S4: Max Bennett is Monk Adderley

Poldark S4: Rebecca Front is Lady Whitworth
Heida Reed is Elizabeth Warleggan
Jack Farthing Talks George Warleggan
Poldark S4: Gabriella Wilde is Caroline Enys
Poldark S4: Christian Brassington Talks Reverend Osborne Whitworth
Poldark S4: Ellise Chappell is Morwenna Whitworth
Poldark S4: Harry Richardson is Drake Carne
Beatie Edney Talks Poldark S4
Poldark S4: Tom York is Sam Carne
Poldark S4: Ciara Charteris is Emma Tregirls

Poldark S4: Gabriella Wilde is Caroline Enys

Gabriella Wilde as Caroline in Poldark S3  Photo: FarFarAwaySite

Gabriella Wilde admits that this series of Poldark is the most challenging so far for her character, Caroline Enys.

‘This series is a dramatic rollercoaster for Caroline. Her relationship with Dwight goes through a lot of ups and downs. After suffering PTSD upon his return from France last series Dwight is now back to being himself again, so they are finally settled and happy. They start off by deciding to do something that Caroline is quite frightened of, but she takes the plunge and they take a huge step together. However, this ends in tragedy and it tears Caroline and Dwight apart. They have very different reactions and ways of coping with it. Caroline can’t be in Cornwall or around Dwight, she can’t face what has happened. She runs away to London and spends a large amount of the series trying to avoid her feelings but eventually she does begin to come to terms with everything, as heart breaking as it is.’

Gabriella has enjoyed playing out the evolvement of her character.

‘Caroline is ever changing; there are so many layers to her - what you see is not necessarily what you get with her. She is funny and witty and there was very much a light heartedness around her when we first met her in series two but as time has gone on she has revealed a compassion and kindness below it all and that is where her and Dwight connect. He is a deeply compassionate man but for him it is much more on the surface, he is a doctor and devotes himself to helping the poor which she certainly doesn’t do but he does see that side to her, behind all of the smoke and mirrors she puts up. If she remained solely sharp and controversial it wouldn’t be as truthful because people are not one-dimensional. As an actor it is a wonderful gift to be given a character who has a compelling storyline which allows for all of these layers of Caroline to be revealed in a very organic way.’

Gabriella divulges more on the difficulties facing Caroline and Dwight this series.

‘They overcome the worst tragedy a couple can but it is not a fairy-tale version, they struggle through it in their own ways. Dwight and Caroline have a real magnetism towards each other but they are very different creatures and when this happens they react completely differently. Caroline reacts in the only way she knows how to which is by running away and shutting down. That is not his practice at all. She is lucky because he is an incredibly good man and he doesn’t blame her, he sees behind what she is doing and why she has to do it and he waits for her, allowing her to go through her own process. Dwight is a man with great compassion and there is a deep understanding between them. Although they go through this incredibly difficult experience and she pretty much abandons him, he is still there for her.’

Gabriella explains why Caroline takes refuge in London.

‘London is probably where she has spent most of her life so one side of her is very much at home there, more so than in Cornwall. She is a dynamic woman with multiple sides to her and London represents the side of Caroline we haven’t seen since the second series, before she meets Dwight. She slips back into that rather guarded person very naturally. It is her default setting and her survival mode.’

However, a familiar face in London attempts to convince Caroline to face her pain rather than ignore it.

‘Ross (Aidan Turner) is almost slightly haunting Caroline whilst she is in London, he isn’t allowing her to escape this thing she has to face and go through. Underneath it all there is affection and an appreciation for Ross and what he is trying to do but at the same time, on the surface, whilst she does not want to deal with it, he is incredibly annoying and is a constant reminder of home and of what she is running from. The last thing she wants is to be reminded by someone like Ross who is quite direct. Caroline would usually manipulate people and talk around things but Ross doesn’t allow that, he knows her too well.’

Whilst in London, Caroline meets an unscrupulous character who is a new to Poldark this year and is intent on stirring up trouble.

‘Monk Adderley (Max Bennett) is a pretty interesting character who comes in and causes a big stir and quite a lot of problems amongst the characters. Caroline enjoys a bit of controversy going on around her so she enjoys a character being rather contentious and causing some drama. But of course, if anyone was to cross someone she is loyal to she would stand up for her friends and is there for them. He is antagonistic towards everyone and he is a man without morals.’

With the men in London causing trouble, Caroline’s friendship with Demelza is stronger than ever.

‘Caroline and Demelza’s friendship really goes from strength to strength and whilst they come from entirely different backgrounds there is a recognition between these two as self-sufficient, strong women who share a sense of humour. They are incredibly bright women in a world run by men so they like to show off their intelligence and play the people around them and get involved where they are probably not expected to.’

Gabriella tells us she enjoys playing a strong female role, written by a brilliant female writer, Debbie Horsfield.

‘It is very refreshing to play a feisty female character and although Poldark is the male lead, the women are doing all of the work behind the scenes and we get to see that. They are not pushovers by any means; they are the backbones. It is especially nice to be playing a female character who is written by a woman because she understands women so the detail to which the female characters in this show are written is spot on and so are the relationships between the women. Whilst this is a period drama, it is relevant to modern day life and modern women and the way those women operate within their marriages is all very relevant and that is down to Debbie being an incredibly smart woman and having the insight for that.’

Gabriella reveals what she is most eager for audiences to see this series.

‘On a visual level, I am excited for audiences to see London and the incredible sets for that. Due to the time period, there is also a change in the costumes and so the whole look of the drama has shifted this series. Even whilst we were filming it felt and looked different, so it is going to be quite thrilling to watch. On a more personal level I am excited for people to watch the journey of Caroline and that incredibly poignant story.’

Source: BBC Media Centre 

Aidan Turner Talks Poldark S4

Eleanor Tomlinson Talks Poldark S4
Poldark S4: Max Bennett is Monk Adderley

Poldark S4: Rebecca Front is Lady Whitworth
Heida Reed is Elizabeth Warleggan
Jack Farthing Talks George Warleggan
Poldark S4: Luke Norris is Dwight Enys
Poldark S4: Christian Brassington Talks Reverend Osborne Whitworth
Poldark S4: Ellise Chappell is Morwenna Whitworth
Poldark S4: Harry Richardson is Drake Carne
Beatie Edney Talks Poldark S4
Poldark S4: Tom York is Sam Carne
Poldark S4: Ciara Charteris is Emma Tregirls

Pics from the 'Poldark' S4 Preview Screening at the BFI

Here are a few pics from last night's preview screening of Poldark S4 at the BFI.  Sorry, there's no report as news from the Q&A is embargoed for a while.  I did ask the BFI Box Office if the panel would be filmed and disappointingly, it seems not.

Eleanor Tomlinson was unable to make the event as she is busy filming War of the Worlds but she did send a video (below) with the wonderful news that there would be a series 5!

#Poldark fans, @ETomlinson has some exciting news from tonight's screening of S4 episode 1. You don't want to miss this announcement! pic.twitter.com/2IoyL4p8Cu

— Official Poldark (@PoldarkTV) 2 May 2018

Luke Norris, Esme Coy, Christian Brassington,
Joshua Whitehouse, Aidan Turner, Ellise Chappell, Beatie Edney

Debbie Horsfield, Aidan Turner and Karen Thrussell

Filming 'Poldark' in Wells

Last Friday Poldark took over the Market Place in Wells for some series four filming with the town hall being transformed into the Warleggan Bank and market stalls filling the square. Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner), George Warleggan (Jack Farthing), Dwight Enys (Luke Norris) and Reverend Whitworth (Christian Brassington) were all spotted during the day.

Filming also took place at Vicars' Close.

Promo Shots for 'Poldark' S3

The BBC have released some promo shots of the cast for Poldark series three:

Aidan Turner as Ross

Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza

Heida Reed as Elizabeth

Jack Farthing as George Warleggan

Luke Norris as Dwight Enys

Gabriella Wilde as Caroline Penvenen

Pics from 'Poldark' S3 Preview Screening

Here are a few pics from the Q&As at last night's Poldark S3 preview screening. Sorry, there's no report as news from the event is embargoed for a while.

Photo: Evie Bowman

Eleanor Tomlinson 

Luke Norris

Aidan Turner 

Aidan and Jack Farthing

Karen Thrussell, Luke Norris, Eleanor Tomlinson

Ellise Chappell (Morwenna)

Debbie Horsfield, Harry Richardson (Drake), Tom York (Sam)

All photos by Evie Bowman.

Who to Look Out for in 'Poldark' S2 Episode 5

Robin Ellis as Rev Halse

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

All The Fun of the Fight

The second series of Poldark has its fair share of fights and fisticuffs with Ross (Aidan Turner), George Warleggan (Jack Farthing) and even Dr. Dwight Enys (Luke Norris) seeing a bit of action.

Aidan has had plenty of fight training over the years as many of his screen roles have involved a brawl or battle somewhere along the way. Making Desperate Romantics in 2009, Aidan said he found the scene where he's involved in a punch-up 'scary', but he sees things differently now on Poldark. ‘I really enjoy the fight scenes, they are so much fun,' he says, 'George is working out, he’s boxing and training so he is well able to handle himself these days which makes the fight more interesting. He’s quite vicious in some of these fights. There’s a lot of strangling and throwing ourselves into bookcases, and smashing glass. I put his head into a fire at one stage! Jack (Farthing) is a lovely guy, that’s probably why I enjoy the fight scenes so much because I really like him. He is such a brilliant actor, and I have learnt so much from him.’

And it seems Jack Farthing who plays George has been preparing himself for a scrap. As Jack reveals, ‘George persuades himself that the thing to do is to try and become more

Photo: Official Poldark

of a physical match for Ross, not that he ever really will. To present himself as a different kind of man, not all curlers and frills, he decides to build himself up and starts training. We did some 18th Century boxing, which is very different to modern boxing, it’s all sort of long arm and at a distance. It looks quite funny and a little pathetic…

‘I had a great day with an amazing stuntman who had literally just stepped off the Bond film the day before - he was an absolute tank! George may not be made of muscles but if he puts his mind to something it will be right. That’s what I wanted to aim for. By the end he is a real match for his instructor. That was really good fun.’

Luke Norris as Dwight Enys also gets involved in the fights and, for Luke, this is a reminder of earlier times. ‘About six years ago I got hit in a stage fight and it has left a permanent scar on my face so I am always a bit wary about the fight scenes,' he says, 'I was doing this play for six weeks and we went out on stage one time and instead of aiming to miss the guy had a brain burp and clobbered me straight in the mouth. I’m properly cautious now.’ But Dwight is a loyal friend of Ross's and is always there for him. As Luke says, 'Dwight’s definitely a corner man in the fight. Ross is the boxer and Dwight is the man patching him up.’

Well I'm really glad Dwight is there to look after Ross and, while I'm flinching at Ross being hit at least I can now tell myself that this is Aidan's idea of fun!

Related links:
Poldarked: Aidan Turner: Fighting Talk
Poldarked: Aidan Turner "I Love a Bit of Boxing"

Source: BBC Media

Blue Orange Review

The Poldarked team had a night out at the theatre last weekend and caught Blue Orange by Joe Penhall at The Young Vic. One of the cast is Luke Norris, playing a young, well intentioned doctor, clashing with his older professional colleagues: sound familiar? Blue Orange is very different territory to Poldark however.

David Haig, Luke Norris and Daniel Kaluuya
Photo by Alastair Muir

Directed by Matthew Xia, the play looks at the relationship between a young black man, Christopher (Daniel Kaluuya ) who has been confined to a psychiatric ward for a month and his doctor, Bruce (Luke Norris), who wants to section him as he thinks he's suffering from psychosis; amongst other things he still thinks oranges are blue. The older consultant (David Haig) disagrees and thinks it's just a question of Christopher's culture being misunderstood by an ethnocentric system.

Bruce pleads with Christopher whilst consultant, Robert looks on.
Pic: What's On Stage

The play raises many questions about the diagnosis of mental illness, race and modern society and ends without giving the audience the answers. Although some things have changed since the play was originally staged the issues of institutional racism and how bed space dictates treatment remain. It's gripping, cutting and funny and I've been thinking about it ever since. With just three characters and lots of dialogue the actors need to be at the top of their game and they are throughout. The play is performed in the round and uses the space well, giving the audience the feel of being in the room (the entire play is set in a consultation room in a psychiatric hospital).

Our signed playbill

For such a serious subject the Blue Orange is surprisingly funny and the humour adds to the empathy. It has a bit of everything and it's no surprise the play won an Olivier Award when it was first staged in 2000. If you can get it see it we'd highly recommend it. Blue Orange runs until 2nd July. You can book tickets from The Young Vic.

Read Luke Norris's Biography 

'Poldark' Panel at the Hay Festival

Poldark is going to the Hay Festival!

Eleanor Tomlinson (Demelza), Luke Norris (Dwight Enys), Karen Thrussell (executive producer) and Debbie Horsfield (writer) will be on the Poldark panel to talk about the show. There's also a preview of Series 2!

The event is on Sunday 5 June at 5.30pm.  To book tickets (price £7) follow the  link

Luke Norris On Stage

Fresh from playing dashing doctor, Dwight Enys, Poldark star Luke Norris is back on stage soon, this time as an actor (he is also a writer, his play So Here We Are played in Manchester's Royal Exchange theatre last autumn). He will be starring in The Young Vic's production of Olivier Award winning play, Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall.

photo by Ed Clark

The play is about a man called Christopher, who has been confined to a psychiatric ward for a month as he thinks oranges are blue. It sounds like Luke will play the role of his doctor, who convinced he needs help, wants to section him. The senior consultant thinks it’s all a question of culture: at home in Shepherd’s Bush Christopher will be amongst 'people who think just like him'.

Blue/Orange from The Young Vic

The Young Vic's artistic director David Lan said, "Daniel Kaluuya was a revelation in our A Season in the Congo as was Luke Norris in A View from the Bridge. I'm delighted to welcome them both back to play patient and doctor in Matthew Xia's production of Joe Penhall's edge-of-seat state of the nation masterpiece."

Luke Norris and his co star, Daniel Kaluuya, from What's On Stage

The play will run from 12th May to 18th June, with tickets available from The Young Vic's website.

Read more about Luke Norris here