BOOKS, RADIO AND TV
Storm-tossed and turbulent, the Cornish drama continues apace as Poldark enters Parliament
What to read, watch and listen to.
SUNDAYS, 9PM UNTIL 29 JULY, BBC ONE ALSO ON IPLAYER; DVD RELEASED 30 JULY
Hold on to your tricorn hats, because Aidan Turner is back as the dark, dashing hero, battling to save both his marriage to Demelza and the fortunes of beleaguered Cornwall. With season four of the BBC’s popular swashbuckling drama currently underway, don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in this romantic rural saga set on the south coast in 1796.
The show’s appeal remains its compelling storylines, colourful characters and the glorious scenery of the Cornish landscape (not to mention some barechested swimming from our hero). This series also features a late-18th-century House of Commons, as Ross Poldark becomes a Member of Parliament, and engages with many of the great political issues of the day, from the abolition of slavery to the ending of child labour.
Meanwhile Demelza Poldark (Eleanor Tomlinson) is left in charge of the mine, the farm and the children back in Cornwall; a vast responsibility for a woman in that era. Both Tomlinson and Turner are appealing leads, leaving viewers rooting for Ross and Demelza in all their endeavours, while the drama boasts suitably dastardly characters in the shape of banker George Warleggan and unscrupulous rake Monk Adderley.
If you have missed the first few episodes, catch up now on iPlayer, or wait until the DVD is released on 30 July. Reviews editor Maria Hodson