The League of Austen Artists: Aidan Turner playing Poldark in BBC hit was "meant to be”, says show's writer

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Aidan Turner playing Poldark in BBC hit was "meant to be”, says show's writer

MIRROR
14:53, 7 May 2015 By Robert Dex , Danny Walker

Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza and Aiden Turner as Ross Poldark in Poldark

Aiden Turner being cast as Poldark in BBC hit was "meant to be”, according to a key member of the production.

The writer who helped bring the BBC's hit remake of Poldark to TV said the casting of Aidan Turner as the title character was spot on.

The 31-year-old actor has won millions of fans for his brooding role as Captain Ross Poldark and the Cornish saga has since been recommissioned for a second series.

Scenes of Turner swimming naked in the sea and working topless with a scythe in a field have grabbed the most attention, while a question and answer Twitter session descended into farce when the actor was swamped with questions about his looks.

Debbie Horsfield, who wrote the hit adaptation, said she knew "somebody pretty spectacular" had to play the title role and Turner was her first choice.

She told BBC Radio 5 live's Anna Foster she normally does not write scripts with actors in mind but made an exception for Turner.

She said: "I started mulling it over in my head what were the characteristics that you would need and it became clear it was a pretty special person. I wrote one name down in my notebook then closed the book and didn't say anything to anybody."