Look out, Poldark, this dastardly MP has taken a shine to your Demelza!
AFTER stripping off for a spot of topless scything, Aidan Turner became the heartthrob of Poldark.
But the BBC1 drama’s star will be given a run for his money when series four starts next month, with a new hunk set to come between Ross Poldark and his wife Demelza.
Max Bennett, 33, will play villainous MP Monk Adderley who takes a particular interest in Demelza, played by Eleanor Tomlinson.
Ross and his wife have already cheated on each other, with Demelza kissing naval officer Hugh Armitage, played by Burberry model Josh Whitehouse, in the final episode of series three.
It came after she was told that Ross had kissed Elizabeth Warleggan, his first love and former fiancee.
Adderley, a former Army captain, is
‘A twisted pleasure in wreaking havoc’
expected to cause even more trouble with the couple, being described as an ‘unscrupulous society figure who is on a collision course with the Poldarks’.
Bennett, who is a Cambridgeeducated former head boy, is relatively unknown, having appeared mainly in West End productions.
He said of his character: ‘His interest is particularly piqued by Demelza and that is where the collision course occurs. Apart from being beautiful, Demelza is very unusual in his social circle, she is an outsider and that is intriguing to him.’
On his manipulative side, he said: ‘He also just likes playing with people so having a new and slightly naive person on the scene is fun for him and is also a chance to stick the knife in with Ross.’
Writer Debbie Horsfield described Bennett’s character as a ‘vibrant and exotic new addition’ and warned that he will have a ‘major impact on the lives of Ross and Demelza’.
She said: ‘Monk Adderley is famed for his duelling and his scandalous affairs. He is utterly without conscience or loyalty and takes a twisted pleasure in wreaking havoc in the lives of others.’
Harry Richardson will return as Demelza’s brother Drake Carne. Offscreen, the actor is thought to be in a relationship with Miss Tomlinson, who this week said she should be paid the same as star Turner, arguing that while he was the bigger name when the series began, they are both now co-leads.