Jace Lacob: I’m Jace Lacob, and you’re listening to MASTERPIECE Studio.

And with a single, heartbreaking moment on the beach, Ross and Demelza sail out of our lives forever.

CLIP

Demelza Ross! You will come back?

Ross I swear to you, my love. I will return.

Jace But for the Poldarks of Nampara, some stories are just beginning.

CLIP 

Ross If it’s a boy, we’ll call him Henry. And if it’s a girl – ?

Demelza Isabella-Rose.

Jace Ross has taken on the role of spy for King and Country, Demelza is once again an expectant mother and George, Valentine, and Ursula bid farewell to Trenwith — for good.

CLIP

George I came to inform you that I am closing up Trenwith. Henceforth Truro and London will be my home.

Ross I see.

Jace Series creator, executive producer, and head writer Debbie Horsfield crafted the final Poldark sequence on the Cornish beaches on her own — but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have any regrets wrapping up the beloved period drama.

Debbie Horsfield: I’ve never got bored of the books. I just love them and think they’re brilliantly written and the characters brilliantly evoked. And I sometimes glance up at the books on my bookshelf now and think, you know, I’m not reading those today.

Jace Horsfield joins us on our final Poldark episode, and together, we say goodbye to the swash-buckling, ore-mining, romance-strewn MASTERPIECE series.

And later, my MASTERPIECE colleague Barrett Brountas, co-host of our companion podcast Mining Poldark, speaks with the original Ross Poldark, Robin Ellis about that surprising final scene between his Rev. Dr. Halse and Aidan Turner’s Ross.

Jace And this week, we are joined again by Poldark creator, executive producer and head writer Debbie Horsfield. Welcome.

Debbie Hello.

Jace There’s a time jump of five months at the very start of the final episode, which pushes us into the heart of Ross’s covert plan to stop the French invasion. Ross and Demelza are fracturing because of Ross’s plan, one that puts him into the arms of Tess Tregedien. Did you feel the need to push these two apart one last time before they could devote themselves to each other completely at the end of the series?

Jace I think it’s very typical of Ross to do something which obviously is out of love for Demelza. It’s to protect her. But as usual, he doesn’t fully think things through, and he always hoped for the best. And as usual, the best doesn’t always happen. So, yes, I think it was it was necessary that we had to have that that kind of fracture in the relationship, if only for, you know, for a few minutes in the episode, a misunderstanding, the wrong assumptions. And given obviously given their history together, it was easy for her to jump to conclusions.

CLIP

Demelza Don’ want to lose you, Ross.

Ross You fear that?

Demelza Sometimes. Of late, more oft. Wondering where you go?

Ross I have a mine to run.

Demelza And why you’re gone so long?

Ross Would you rather I was in London?

Demelza As to that – you may as well be, since… Hanson and Merceron pursue us here.

Ross They’re of no consequence.

Demelza Why do I misdoubt that?

Ross Perhaps you misdoubt everything I say.

Demelza Do I have cause?

Ross No. No cause.

Debbie But yeah, we I think we did need one final fracture before they actually reconnected fully and set off on the next part of their journey together.

Jace Demelza learns of Ross’s scheme and goes so far as to insert herself in the secret meeting between Ross and General Touissaint. Is this completely reckless or is it just Demelza being Demelza and saving Ross?

Debbie Well, it is reckless, but you know, the stakes are very high. They haven’t really been any higher. And she is obviously thinking what, what other option does she have? Because she knows that Ross is heading for disaster. And she’s also a quick thinker. And she’s also very aware that she is you know, she she can charm people. That was being one of the things about Demelza throughout all the books is that she is very charming when she wants to be. So that’s a weapon that she has no qualms about using in extreme circumstances.

Jace And I do love the fact that it’s Demelza’s arrival and her very, very quick thinking that actually saves Ross, because without her, he surely would’ve been killed by Touissant and Ralph Hanson.

Debbie Yes.

CLIP

Demelza Oh, sir – from the bottom of my heart… I bless you! Can you truly think to rid me of this fiend?

Toussaint You, do not plead for him?

Demelza Plead? I loathe him!

Ralph What?

Demelza He’s a liar, and a bully. He repeatedly breaks his marriage vows, and, and my heart! So yes, I despise him! ‘T’would be a blessed release if you were to dispatch him!

Toussaint Delighted to oblige you, madame.

Demelza But not too swiftly! I should like to see him humiliated before his dispatch.

Toussaint And nothing would give me greater pleasure.

Jace Is it a fitting balancing of the scales that these two have saved each other?

Debbie Yes, I think that was the intention of it, really, is that they have they have throughout the series sometimes let each other down, sometimes redeem themselves, sometimes redeemed each other. But finally, Demelza steps in and and redeems Ross in the most exceptional way, because as you say, otherwise, you know, there would have been a bullet through him.

Jace I do love that we get a redemption of sorts for George Warleggan, who performs his patriotic duty by coming to Ross’s rescue and killing Toussaint and injuring Ralph Hanson. What’s behind his about face and the reveal of his true colors?

Debbie George has always been the bad guy, except that he hasn’t always really been. He has shown signs of humanity and occasionally of decency. And I’ve always felt that from way back he he rather admired Ross and would have wanted nothing more than to be Ross’ friend. And that was something that was never going to happen because the two of them have such diametrically opposed views of humanity and the world. And so they’re never going to be mates. And it’s not even really an attempt on George’s part to be Ross’s friend again, because he knows Ross is never going to accept the hand of friendship. And yet there is a spark of decency in George. And I personally don’t think it’s just because he feels it’s his patriotic duty. That’s kind of the excuse he puts on it. But I just felt that he couldn’t live with himself if he knew that, you know, he Ross was going to his death and he could have prevented it. And also, it’s such a surprise that it’s, you know, who could resist that little kind of twist of drama.

Jace It’s it’s an amazing surprise. I love the scene between them over the glass of brandy. They agree to resume their animosity.

CLIP

Ross Clearly we are never going to be the best of friends.

George Or any manner of friends.

Ross But I believe thanks are in order.

George Spare yourself. The gesture was not out of concern for you but out of loyalty to my country.

Ross I’m indebted to you nonetheless. Which is not a position I relish.

George Whereas I revel in it!

Ross So shall we revert to our usual animosity?

George With pleasure.

Jace But there is embedded within that, this acknowledgement of very begrudging perhaps, but mutual respect.

Debbie I think so. I think the animosity has always been more on George’s side. And it does continue pretty much to the end of the books. I think that although although Ross would never want to be George’s friend, could never see himself as George’s friend, he doesn’t nurse grudges in the way that that George does. So in a way, he kind of has to let George have the resumption of hostilities because he knows they’re never going to operate in any other way.

Jace George later visits Nampara to tell Ross and Demelza that he’s closed up trend with and asked that they forbid Valentine from visiting them as he’s, quote, not a relation. Is this the closest we get to George? Somewhat acknowledging the truth of Valentine’s parentage?

Debbie Well, nobody knows the truth of Valentine’s parentage. To be fair, none of our characters could possibly know the truth. Valentine’s parentage. In the book, Winston Graham as the narrator makes it clear that Ross is Valentine’s father. But none of the characters know that. And there was no way for any of them to know it for certain. So Ross doesn’t know it. I mean, people can suspect it. George may suspect it. Ross may suspect it. The villagers clearly suspect it, as evidenced in the later books. But there is no proof. And Winston Graham is clear that none of the characters know it for sure.

Jace Ross duels with Toussaint, the Carnes and Zacky capture the French hiding in Wheal Leisure and during the most taut double sequence in Poldark yet Loveday Carne is born.

Debbie Yes.

CLIP

Drake Oh my love.

Morwenna We have a daughter.

Drake A daughter.

Morwenna And you’re safe, all is well.

Drake All as we’d hoped.  What a day, what a love.  That’s what we’ll call her! Loveday.

Morwenna Loveday Carne. Welcome, Loveday.

Jace Does Loveday’s birth signaled the beginning of a new era for Morwenna and Drake?

Debbie Yes, although in in book eight, they don’t really appear. But their story just seemed to beg to be to have some kind of conclusion to it. Obviously, Morwenna, hideously traumatized from her marriage to Whitworth. And yet, clearly it’s not easy to get over that kind of trauma. They can’t just get married and live happily ever after. So obviously what we’ve done is, is really trace her very slow healing and recovery through this season five. And the the birth of Loveday really is is almost the the the signal that that redemption is is complete. It’s right. It’s always a very you know, it’s a very happy event to to end the series with. It is a symbol of new beginnings and fresh hope.

Jace I mean, likewise, Demelza announces her own pregnancy. I mean, it does feel like this final episode isn’t building to resolution, but more, as you say, to sort of a series of unseen new beginnings. Was that the intent going in when writing this?

Debbie Yeah, very much so, because there are as I say, there are five more books. And one of the one of the things that we knew we had to do was to not put anything in this season that would contradict or conflict with the remaining five books. So even if those five books never get dramatized and adapted, there is still nothing in our season five which would conflict with things that happened in those later books. But obviously it’s the finale season, so you do need a resolution of sorts. But there are also open ended questions.

Jace George’s final scene has him watching his Trenwith is closed and he gets one final glimpse at his beloved Elizabeth as she enters the house. What was behind this final vision? And is there a sense that Elizabeth is finally at home, finally at peace, at least within George’s mind?

Debbie I think this the sense was that although George appeared to have laid laid her ghost to rest at the back of his mind, he probably never will do that. So it’s just a fleeting glimpse. It’s not a suggestion that his madness is going to resume, but it’s an indication that she she will always be in his heart.

Jace I mean, he says to Cary, there will be no other women.

Debbie Yeah.

Jace He will remain just wedded to his memory of Elizabeth.

Debbie Although in book eight and later on, he does meet somebody and he actually goes on to be married and to have more children.

Jace Dwight and Caroline finally confront the death of their own child, Sarah, and begin plans to try again. It’s a scene that invokes Kitty Despard as much as it does Caroline’s terror of becoming pregnant and losing another child. Is this a much deserved happy ending for the Enyses?

Debbie I think it’s the beginning of a new beginning because the way Caroline dealt with the death of Sarah. Was she for a long time just denied it and, you know, threw herself into a social life partying in London? She she did. Begin to confront the loss, but it was clearly too painful for her to do so and so, you know, in our story, she kind of in a way looks for reasons to keep Dwight at a distance. And there’s a perfect excuse for her believing that Dwight is growing fond of Kitty, because obviously Dwight has form in this regard. You know, looking back to season one where he had an affair with a married woman. So Caroline has the perfect justification for keeping him at arm’s length and doesn’t realize why she’s doing it for quite some time. But when she finally does, there is, I think, a lot of hope for the Enyses. And again, more spoilers. But they do go on to have more children.

Jace Dwight and Ross both make plans to head to France, Ross to covertly spy on the French troops and Dwight to study with a prominent doctor, but really to keep an eye on Ross, forever brothers in arms. Was the intent to keep these two best friends together, in the end.

Debbie Yeah, absolutely, because obviously that the friendship has come under a lot of stress with the introduction of Ned Despard, which threatened to drag Ross, as is said in one of the middle episodes, if Despard falls, he takes Ross down with him. And Dwight has been endeavouring throughout the series to to stop that happening because he can see that Ross is so susceptible to following Ned into all kinds of of recklessness. So with Ned out of the way. At least they can be comrades in arms again. And you know, Dwight, Dwight values that I think and and vice versa.

Jace I mean, do you see Poldark ultimately as a story of romantic love as much as it is about the brotherly love between Ross and Dwight and the bond that these two men share?

Debbie I think it’s about many kinds of love. Obviously, romantic love and and and sibling love, filial love, parents and children, best friends. The love that someone can have for their employees. For instance, Ross demonstrates great care for the people that he employs. He has great care for some of his old friends that he’s known since childhood. It in a way, it kind of shines a light on all kinds of love.

Jace Merceron and Ralph Hanson get their comeuppance. Is it fitting that it’s the two Ross Poldarks, Aidan Turner and Robin Ellis that seal their fate?

Debbie Yeah, I mean, that was deliberate. I always knew that I wanted Robin Ellis to come back and and be in in in at least one episode. You know, he’s been in every season so far and it just was it was a lovely moment when they were both in the same room sealing the fate of the two villains. And, you know, having a handshake together, as if to say, job well done.

Jace: Before this next question, a quick word from our sponsors…

Jace At what point in the writing of this final season did you know what the final scene of Poldark would be?

Debbie I knew that it would be Ross embarking on his first official mission for the Crown. So given that it was Cornwall and it was the, you know, a coast, it was always going to be Ross on a beach saying goodbye to Demelza on a hardland and then getting a boat out to sea. I knew that it would be that, I didn’t really know what the content of it was, particularly. And I only really hit upon, you know, the dialogue for it at the last minute. But, you know, when he when he returns, when he tends to do Demelza and says, I will return. I did kind of have a little smile because, you know, he might well return one day to our screens.

Jace That final scene between Ross and Demelza of the two hearts, one beat might just be my favorite of the entire run of Poldark.

CLIP

Ross Are you afraid?

Demelza Of course I’m afraid! Every moment of every day.

Ross And I.

Demelza We mustn’t be! Where’s our faith? Where’s our gratitude? We’re here, we’re alive, we have blood in our veins!

Ross And the past is gone. Tomorrow doesn’t exist. All that matters – is now.

Demelza An’ we. Two hearts. One beat. We cann’t ask more than that. There isn’t any more to ask.

Jace There’s such a sense of longing and hope as well as uncertainty about the future that’s embedded within their dialogue. How difficult was it to to actually write this scene out?

Debbie Interesting that you should pick that scene out because those lines actually were. They are. They were actually the final lines in season four, the last scene. And the sense of them is taken from the end of The Angry Tide and. For all kinds of reasons to do with the length of the episode and emphasizing certain elements of the story. That section was taken out of season four and I was really gutted that we’d lost it. And then I thought, do you know what, I can still use those lines because they were just so important in the book. In in in the angry tide. And I was really distressed that we couldn’t use them at the end of season four, and I thought they would make the perfect ending to to season five because the impulse and the the the emotion and the commitment to each other is still the same. And it just fitted really beautifully.

Jace We’ve touched upon the fact that there is a sense, given the way that Ross heads to the boat and looks at to Demelza, that this story could very well continue in some fashion in the future. The door has been left open for a possible continuation. Would you ever consider adopting those books and doing another run?

Debbie Clearly, it could continue because there are five more books worth of stories. I don’t think anyone at this point is thinking about doing that. Having said that, everybody has absolutely loved being involved with this entire five series. And as I’ve said previously, none of us would ever say never. But as things stand, there are no plans.

Jace What will you miss most about the world of this show?

Debbie Well, I’m I probably have made really good friends with a lot of the cast, and I will continue to to to see them. So in one sense, you know, I won’t I won’t miss that. But. I certainly will miss I’ve loved doing the adaptation and I’ve loved. You know, I would get into a kind of I wouldn’t say routine because that makes it sound mundane. But there would always be an excitement when I got up every morning and and got into my office and thought, what pages am I adapting today? Because I’ve never got bored of the books. I just love them and think they’re brilliantly written and the characters brilliantly evokes. And I sometimes glance up at the books on my bookshelf now and think, you know, I’m not reading those today. So just that just the whole process of of writing and then the script meetings and the, you know, the refining of the scripts and the watching every stage of it from. From the casting through to the filming. Through to editing. It’s been my life for six nearly six years. And I certainly I certainly will miss that. It’s been the most wonderful journey. And I think we’re all immensely grateful that we’ve been allowed to continue it as long as we have.

Jace Debbie Horsfield, thank you so very much.

Debbie Thank you. 

Jace Robin Ellis never saw a fifth season of his original Poldark in the 1970s. His MASTERPIECE adaptation ran for two seasons, and aligned neatly with the first four seasons and seven novels covered in this more recent series. But he did get the chance to come back to Cornwall to play the Rev. Dr. Halse this time around, serving as a kind of Easter egg for fans in the know. He also co-hosted our companion podcast, Mining Poldark, with my colleague, Barrett Brountas, and the two of them spoke about the uncanny act of saying goodbye to Ross Poldark for a second time.

Barrett Brountas Where I’d like to start is wondering, what is it like for you to be saying goodbye to this series again? It’s actually, in fact, although it’s for the first time for many of us and not all of us, because there are many fans of both the original Poldark series and the series who have been tuning in the whole time. But this is in fact, your second Poldark. Goodbye. So what did it feel like wrapping up on the second iteration of Poldark?

Robin Ellis Well, I’ve sort of learned not to say goodbye, really, because you never know. Good, as Aidan says. You know, in 40 years time, he’ll be playing Halse and I’ll be playing the violin for forever. But anyway. No, I mean, Poldark pursues me, luckily. I mean, it’s absolutely wonderful. I’ve I’ve had 40 years of Poldark and I just never tire of it. And so, yes, it’s sad to see this series. And of course, for people, because it’s a great story and we’ll talk about that in a great characters and you get very involved with it. And so when something that you enjoy so much comes to an end, it’s a disappointment. But I know Poldark never dies based. It extraordinary how it has a very long life. And who knows? Who knows? So I’m not saying goodbye to it. I’m just saying, au revoir.

Barrett There’s so much in this final series of Poldark. But among the top moments, not just of this whole series, but not among the top moments, not just of season five, but the whole series overall is this wonderful scene that we’re treated to at the very end.

CLIP

Dr. Halse  Could this really not wait till morning? I trust the matter is significant?

Ralph “Possession of brandy on which the duty has not been paid”?

Dr. Halse Is that the charge? You realise that being in possession of smuggled goods is a serious offence?

Joseph Do not lecture me on the law, sir. Do you not know who I am?

Dr. Halse No, sir. Who are you?

Joseph A magistrate.

Dr. Halse Then I wonder you are so ill acquainted with the law as to hold it in contempt. You will reside in Truro jail until the case comes to court.

Ralph What case?

Joseph I’ll give you a dozen names who will have us released before you can say.

Ross Ned Despard? Sir. The list of charges.

Dr. Halse Bribery, corruption, fraud, blackmail, false witness, mistreatment of prisoners, murder.

Ross Will it be enough to detain them?

Dr. Halse  For a considerable time.

Ross Your servant, sir.

Dr. Halse  And yours, sir.

Barrett That’s just like pure fanservice and pure gratification. Just a real gift with a beautiful bow. So what did you love that scene as much as I did Yeah. I wanna know everything. So just tell me, everything please.

Robin Well, I did. I mean, when I read it, I thought, well, this is a real I mean, they I think they had difficulty fitting me into the last episode because basically House isn’t very central to the whole thing. So anyway. Debbie did a fantastic job. And in the end, it turned out to be, you know, for the for the idea of House and me being in it, it turned out to be a lovely new, more lovely ending to come to that kind of very, very background story. But it’s kind it had its own sweetness about it. And so I was really I’m very much looking forward to to playing it. And I arrived very early, actually, in the morning because I was called first thing you get there at 6:00 in the morning and it’s pretty bleary. And we didn’t get to our final bit until the afternoon, by which time, although I’d been sitting there, I was very weary. Anyway, I had this this scene where I come on, there’s very little rehearsal. In fact, there’s no rehearsal ready. And you come on and you kind of have to get it together. And in a sort of ironic way, I was. House was was in a non non prepared state, which in a way was quite convenient. I mean, you know, we had difficulty finding his wig. Unfortunately, I found it. So I had to put it on. But anyway, he comes in, he comes in in a very flustered state and very upset that he’d been disturbed, etc. And we have this little scene and there’s one line in this scene. I really, truly tell everybody who’s listening that I did work very hard on this scene. I learnt my words, but I had real difficulty remembering this line. Then I he says one of them says, I am a magistrate and he I say, how says? Then I wonder you are so little acquainted with the law as to hold it in contempt. That is my line. And could I remember it? I could not remember it. It was, you know, I was. Then I wondered. Crowd contempt, right? Oh, sorry. Could be. Could we go that? Could we go again, please? Then I wonder, you are so, so sorry. So sorry. I’m so sorry. I know what. One more time, please. Then I wonder, you are so ill acquainted with with the way I am. I’m so sorry. And in the end, I did it about ten times, I think, and I almost gave up. I said, well, look, you know, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Throw in the towel and you watch it now. And it’s as though that hadn’t happened at all. It’s it’s seamless. It’s extraordinary that the the this the that how tech, how the technical side really helps you out. So that was a bit hairy. But the moment when we we we shook hands and smiled at each other was a very genuine, sweet moment of ending this this this very nice conceit of the two Poldark being being together, as it were, in the same scene, which was the same as the first scene in the courtyard. So anyway, in the court room. So it was it was a it was fun. And everybody cheered. And and it was just one of those lovely moments in my my acting life. So I appreciate it very much. I appreciate Debbie doing it.

Barrett It’s a very Reverend Halse scene. He’s scolding his audience for not properly knowing the rule of law. You know what? He’s threatening others with the full weight of the British legal system. Was that great fun? Did you enjoy this?

Robin I did. I did. It was terrific to play this because it’s always fun to play those slightly negative characters. And I haven’t played all that many of them. So it was fun. It was quite stressful because I had one or two scenes, maybe mostly one scene, every series. So, you know, you arrive in the morning. And as I explained and and it’s over by the evening and it’s gone in a flash. But it the pleasure really was was manyfold. I mean it. The pleasure was doing it, of course, and reconnecting with this fantastic serious story, storylines and characters, but also working in with this group of people who were know one of the pleasures of being an actor is working with with groups of people. I’ve done it a lot in the theater and in television. And when it’s a series in the old days, you really were a group. You really were a company. And because it was done slightly differently, but they managed this time to to read to replicate that and be the atmosphere was absolute like a company. And also they were incredibly good at what they did. I mean, they it really is an impressive cast. And so it was a pleasure to rejoin with them every time. And just in the green room, just sort of catch up with them while we were waiting to go on and things. So it was. It was. Yeah. Great. It was fantastic.

Barrett You’ve done so much different work over the course of your career, but Poldark was a really important span for you and project for you, right? I mean it really. You went on a journey in Poldark. And.I’m wondering, did you ever did you ever think, as as this was closing and you were completing this last scene with Aidan Turner?  Did you sort of look at him and think, here’s a young man who’s who’s had this role and who’s been on a real journey as well and sort of just like, look at him in sort of knowingly smile like I I’ve been there, too, I have this. I wonder what’s in store for him in his future. He has a nice future. Like did any of that ever occur to you?

Robin Yes. I mean, I think you ever feel that way. I think I think the part for me certainly was was the first time I’ve been on BBC One, for instance. I mean, I’ve been on BBC Two on ITV and individual things on classic serials, on WGBH Masterpiece, actually quite a few. But nothing like this, which was, you know, popular television. Sunday afternoon, in fact, you know, really, really popular stuff watched by a pretty constant increasing audience every Sunday, and that had never really occurred with me, you know, so. So it was. Yeah. It was a watershed in my my career, my career. And I think for wind, for for Aiden, you know, he’s he’s. Well, he was a well-known actor before he did this, but he’d never done that kind of popular television. He’d done his films. He’d appear. He appeared as I did, and in costume drama and stuff like that. But nothing like this. And this kind of you know, this is a long do. This is how many, 35 episodes, isn’t it? Or more more, actually, that’s a lot to to appear in every every six months, every Sunday evening. You know, that’s. But that really brings you into the public domain. And nowadays, of course, it’s different than the all with all the social media and stuff. It’s sort of a constant repeat of that image goes on all the time. I mean, this moves pretty strong when I was around. But but now it’s I dunno, it’s ten times as much as that. So it establishes him hugely and because he was so good in it, you know, and so. So I don’t know. Powerful in it. It’s going to make a huge difference to to his his future. So we both have a lot to thank Ross Poldark for I’m often asked what I think you know, Poldark why it’s so popular. Why? Why is it that it continues to be so from the very start and to television series experiencing the same kind of real, really popular reaction? And it made me think of Richard Moran, who was the original Dr. Ennis in the first go round. Some years ago, the BBC did a series of programs called The Cult of Sunday Night, which examined a half hour programs of just examining each of the sort of early 70s, 80s series that showed on Masterpiece as well, I think. And he was asked this question, why does he why did he think it was so popular and why did he think what was the attraction? And I just like to to to read you what he said, because it’s it’s just sums it up for me. He said it’s about love, it’s about betrayal, things that hurt us, things that give us joy like any kind of creation where people, you know, are going through their emotions, expressing their feelings of love, life and death. It evokes strong attachments, strong passion. And you love it, you love them, you love the people, you cherish them, you honor them, you respect them. And I thought it was just wonderful, really simple and and absolutely what it’s about. That’s why it’s attractive.

Jace That was Mining Poldark’s Robin Ellis and Barrett Brountas. You can hear their entire five-season recap podcast at pbs.org/MiningPoldark, or on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever else you listen to podcasts.

Coming up next on MASTERPIECE, a special television broadcast premiere of the original MASTERPIECE film The Chaperone, written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and starring Downton Abbey’s own Elizabeth McGovern.

CLIP

Myra Here’s Mrs. Carlisle come to talk about your trip to New York.

Louise: Of course. Hello Mrs. Carlisle.

Norma Sorry about your arm, it looks sore

Myra: She’s never heard of Denishawn!

Louise Never mind that. What do you hope to do when we get to New York?

Norma:  I don’t know. I like good theatre.

Myra Well that’s something!

Louise I think we’re gonna have a wonderful time.

Jace That’s Sunday, November 24, exclusively on MASTERPIECE on PBS.

Next here on MASTERPIECE Studio, we’ll welcome the thrilling new series Sanditon to the screen with a new interview with series star Rose Williams. This magnificent adaptation of Jane Austen’s tragically unfinished final novel comes to MASTERPIECE screens on January 12, 2020. Stay tuned.

MASTERPIECE Studio is hosted by me, Jace Lacob and produced by Nick Andersen. Elisheba Ittoop is our editor. Susanne Simpson is our executive producer. The executive producer of MASTERPIECE is Rebecca Eaton.