The Rival

HUGH ARMITAGE

Hugh can’t take his eyes off Demelza

Iplayed eleanor’s brother in the film Alleycats, she’s fantastic to work with, and going on to such a big production as Poldark, it was nice to have a friend,’ says Josh.

‘When i got the role, i found online forums dedicated to my character with people saying: “hugh’s a scoundrel!” it did make me rethink how i was going to play him. in the books, he does seem like a bit of a scoundrel.

‘but there is a misunderstood part of hugh’s story and so my aim is

to get people to understand him and bring some light to him rather than purely seeing him as a villain. hugh’s a person who follows his heart and acts out of love, despite the fact that it could be seen as quite controversial and have serious consequences. i hope that comes across.

‘When hugh met demelza at the beach, he was blown away by her. he has never seen a woman like her. they become friends, but there is an attraction and he can’t take his eyes off her, or deny how he feels about her and the way she feels about him. he wants to get it off his chest, but it’s a treacherous game…’