HIGHLIGHTS Poldark is an antidote to all those hard-hitting crime dramas

Aidan Turner is back in his breeches for a third series of Poldark, but while fans lap up the Cornish drama, he tells

why stayed] but I don’t think he ever imagined she was going to leave. When she did, I think that’s when it hit home, the severity of what he did. I don’t think he really thought about it much before. I think he’s conscious of not making the same mistakes again.”

But then, Poldark’s a man to put his head into thatching, scything, mining, or anything else that can distract him from the stark reality of a situation.

“If Ross isn’t thinking about it or talking about it, it’s not really happening. It doesn’t exist,” explains Aidan, who played a vampire in the BBC Three series Being Human and the dwarf Kili in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.

“There’s a lot of denial, so he just keeps himself busy, taking his mind off that pressing concern until there’s real reason to think about it.

“It’s interesting playing someone like that. If he just involves himself with something else, he can detach himself from reality. It’s quite a talent.”

Debbie Horsfield, who has adapted Winston Graham’s books, revealed the action for series three is taken from The Black Moon and part of The Four Swans novels.

New faces will be popping up, including Demelza’s brothers, the free-spirited Drake (Harry Richardson) and intensely religious Sam (Tom York).

“One of them is a staunch Methodist and I don’t think Ross has a lot of time for that, but he puts up with them. But they’re hard workers, they’re good lads, slightly misguided Ross would imagine,” says Aidan.

The first episode opens with a heavily pregnant Elizabeth trying to gain control of her galloping horse, with Poldark in hot pursuit on the Cornish clifftops.

“I don’t think I’m telling tales to say we went back to shoot it again a little bit. It was a tough one to get right, but it’s always fun playing around on the horse.”

The big question, of course, is whether the baby belongs to Poldark or Elizabeth’s husband, Warleggan? Given this is set in the 18th century, long before paternity tests, we’ll never find out, but no doubt it’s cause for even more tension.

“It’s a huge year, but then every year seems like a massive undertaking. There are different plots and storylines that don’t necessarily relate to Ross’s world,” adds Aidan, who’s keen to delve deeper into