Barrett Brountas: In the days and weeks since the slap heard round the world and I officially renamed this TV show Demelza, Elizabeth is still hoping that Ross will turn up and prevent her from having to marry George, with whom she’s hedging her bets:

CLIP

Aunt Agatha When do you expect him?

Elizabeth Who?

Aunt Agatha My nephew is not always the most subtle of men. Nor the most discreet.

Elizabeth I’m not sure I know what you mean…

Aunt Agatha Oh, don’t be coy, Elizabeth, let us not pretend we prefer a Warleggan under this roof to a Poldark.

Barrett Demelza attempts to cash in on Captain MacNeil’s obvious affections at a fancy society ball, but realizes her marriage to Ross means more to her than she expected.

CLIP

Demelza I begin to realize something – about myself – call it weakness if you will but – I cannot give myself.

Captain MacNeil You can.

Demelza To any man except my husband. I am bound to him.

Barrett And Ross? Though his stock has plummeted throughout Cornwall, we still have a little good will left for Ross Poldark.

CLIP

Ross I came here with good news! I came here to tell you that Blewitt can repay the money I lent him. We can reopen Grace!

Barrett I’m Barrett Brountas, and this is Mining Poldark, a podcast from MASTERPIECE.

I’m happy to be joined again by my co-host, Robin Ellis, who played the original Ross Poldark in MASTERPIECE’s 1970s adaptation of the Winston Graham novels. Hello, Robin how are you?

Robin Ellis Very good Barrett, how are you?

Barrett I’m very well, thanks. With all this Cornish drama, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s give a quick recap so we’re all on the same page.

Robin What Barrett and I have come to call ‘the scene’ and its aftermath burns through this episode. It’s Demelza’s turn to don the boxing gloves and it’s a one sided contest. Ross is walking around in a daze as she lands blow after stinging blow but he’s still doesn’t seem to get it. Perhaps I might have hope for some understanding.

Barrett As Ross plans an ‘everything must go’ fire sale of mining equipment, Demelza, done with being a housemaid slash wife goes on strike from running Nampara, which quickly deteriorates into a pig pen of rotten vegetables and inedible food.

Robin George is knocked off his self-proclaimed winner’s podium by Elizabeth, understandably asking for a postponement of the wedding. He negotiates a month;s delay as she wills Ross to ride to her rescue through the gates of Trenwith. Ross is bidden by letter to meet the great bearded Tonkin ex-partner in the Carnmore Smelting company in Truro. And it’s good news. Demelza wrongly assumes the letters from Elizabeth, and realizes she’s free to accept Hugh Bedruggan’s party invitation. He’s delighted. What a sight for sore eyes. Installs her in the red bedroom where in spite of a gulp of Dutch courage, she soon regrets the assignation her anger has led her to agree to. Amorous Scots captain do call me Malcolm McNeil quickly demonstrates he’s a fully paid up member of the monstrous regiment of men. 

Barrett She has to escape Bedruggan’s through a window and the next morning Ross finds her wandering the beach to share his really good news that is now entirely meaningless because he basically torched the shared project of their life together.

Robin When Ross fails yet again to turn up at the gates. Elizabeth tells Aunt Agatha, he leaves me with no choice. She marries George, who rubs salt into Ross’s wound by choosing to become master of Trenwith, a Poldark house.

Barrett Meanwhile the last of the remaining Poldark clan, Aunt Agatha, Geoffrey Charles and Verity, can only find comfort imagining the past and how things might have turned out so differently.

Barrett That is so good. That was so good. The Monstrous Regiment of men. I think that the only one who is not a member of that is Dwight.

Robin Yes absolutely.

Barrett He’s Cornwall’s only good man.

Robin Though he did have a moment earlier in series.

Barrett That’s right. We’ve forgotten about that.

Robin Yeah. We’ve forgotten that, it was time ago..

Barrett Now we can get into the the grit of the episode. So I’ll start off our discussion with my first choice of a scene and it’s just a great one Demelza has decided that she’s done with being the housemaid slash wife she’s going to be she’s a lady now so she’s having her breakfast in bed like a real lady and Ross comes in and Demelza just sort of has a very superficial attempt to just be lighthearted about everything and dismissive of him but pretty soon she just is is taunting him.

CLIP 

Ross Demelza, I never claimed to be perfect…

Demelza Have I ever asked for that? Not as I recall. But p’raps my memory serves me ill, for I seem to remember we promised to forsake all others.

Ross I realize that I’ve betrayed your trust.

Demelza Forfeit.

Ross And that your pride is wounded…

Demelza Pride? My pride? To think, I did always look up to you, respect you, revere you as my master long before you were my husband.

Ross I see that, but…

Demelza For it did seem to me, unschooled as I was, that you were not like other men. You had a kind of nobility — not of birth, but of character. And I was proud to think that such a man would marry me. So now to discover that you are so much less than other men. Are fallen so low because so far. ‘Tis not my pride that is wounded, Ross. ‘Tis my pride in you.

Barrett Whoa that is so powerful, and that she was able to articulate that was amazing. And that’s the moment that he should understand you know. And by the end of the episode he’s still doesn’t understand. But she makes it perfectly clear like, he has fallen. You ever had that moment you know where your mother said, I’m not mad I’m disappointed.  And that’s what it is. She’s you know he’s he’s not he’s not the man that she thought he was and that he thinks he is. So to me, that scene was a really great one and does so much to explain their relationship and what was so special about it and how damaged, how truly damaged it is.

Robin Yes the killing understatement from mother’s. I totally agree that there is a good wonderful moment at the end of her when she says it’s not my pride it’s my pride in you. Ross has a very thoughtful moment and he looks down and you think he’s got it. He understands and then he comes through into the breakfast scene and it’s clear he hasn’t understood at all.

Barrett Not at all.

Robin It’s it’s it makes the second scene quite stunning in its yes in its effect somehow of his not understanding not really getting it because he really looks as though he’d he’d swallowed her her magnificent speech. I mean it’s really have as you say it’s really impressive. And articulate hands moving because of that and genuine and heartfelt and stunning really. And disappointing in his reaction really.

Barrett On to your next scene, which is your first scene. I’m anxious to hear.

Robin I decided for my first scene on the breakfast scene which is the second scene in this in the episode between the two of them. And I just think it’s it’s a wonderful scene of contained anger until the very end and she manages to be extraordinarily articulate and has a real back and forth with him. I’m sure he is being extraordinarily patronizing and and not really understanding at all the effect what he has done is having on her and. It’s an absolute horrific scene. Absolutely. But she’s bubbling with anger. She’s she’s. Well she contains herself as I said. But at the end there’s a tremendous explosion and it’s very effective. So what happens is that she is playing with Jeremy and he comes in and says the line, ‘We can’t go on like this!’ which is pretty amazing, considering what’s happened.

CLIP 

Ross  Demelza, I would never deliberately hurt you. You of all people must know that.

Demelza Must I, Ross? So I’m to assume that you inflict pain by accident? Without a second thought?

Ross In the moment, I admit it,there was no thought of you, of the pain I might caused… It was as if I was – possessed…

Demelza Of course. No fault of yours. A greater power and you and her helpless to resist.

Ross In a way, yes! Perhaps I might have hoped for some understanding, knowing you as I do.

Demelza Knowing me to be kind and simple and giving? Would you like me to throw myself off Hendrawna cliffs – so you may bury me at your convenience and wed again at your leisure?!

Ross I don’t blame you for your anger, but how does it serve us now?

Demelza Serve us? How did you serve us? How does this serve us?

Robin And that actually is where she cracks and she sweeps the whole breakfast table clear of crockery and everything and it smashes on the floor.

Barrett: Oh and it’s so gratifying isn’t it?

Robin: Yeah it is. It’s what we need.

Barrett Absolutely. You know when you when you’re talking about that passage—- when she says knowing me to be kind and simple and giving that’s that was the thing. I think that’s where it hurts. It hurts so much because you know his presumption again that she’s just. That she’s simple. It reminds me of that. Well Elizabeth is is kind of a lady and she can’t handle poverty but Demelza can. You know just oh it’s brutal.

Robin It points out how how how vulnerable she is in fact. This brings out her vulnerability that because of the social situation in the country at the time you know she’s done fantastically well because of her character and her personality. But this really kind of I don’t know. It cuts right down to the bone of her insecurity. And it’s cruel and and it’s hard to hear. But we do get our moments at the end. So that was our shared actually you do it. 

Barrett love your choice of that scene.

Robin I mean one one is tempted one was tempted to sort of just stick with with Ross and Demelza all the way through because of this thread that goes on. But there is this a couple of other scenes. George and Elizabeth. When Elizabeth sends George a letter pleading for a delay in the wedding dates and she’s you know she at this moment she’s watching the gates of Trenwith hoping that Ross will ride through them and you know safe her basically and who does she spy acting through them. But George. It’s the wrong horseman. And he comes of course because he’s he’s very anxious at reading the letter. I mean he’s very he’s very civilized in his approach to her.

CLIP 

George I want to be indulgent, both before and after our wedding. It’s a bitter disappointment to me, but I will try to agree to your wishes if you will promise me one thing.

Elizabeth Yes?

George That you name another date, today.

Elizabeth Oh…no, I cannot…

George Come, my dear, let us compromise so that both of us may get something from the arrangement. Grant me the consolation of being able to fix a date, a month from today.

Elizabeth  So soon?

George What is there to wait for? What do you imagine will happen in the meantime?

Elizabeth I do not know.

George Can I rely on you, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth Very well. A month from today.

Robin It‘s a nice scene of George George. Well we see him negotiating basically, it’s very interesting. She’s on the back foot but she doesn’t do too badly either and you know. And the the engagement stays in place. Anyway so that’s why I chose it because I thought it was an engaging scene of two too interesting characters.

Barrett It is a very good one because also we need to know we need to be very clear how Elizabeth comes to her decision to marry George and and how she like her path toward a changed feeling about Ross. This is all important stuff. She’s still hoping to be rescued you know and she’s still she still loves Ross I think?

Robin Yes, she does.

Barrett But she also wants to yeah. Oh she she also wants to get out of this situation to get out of this situation with George. I I feel like Elizabeth increasingly between you know looking out the window at the empty gate and and working on her embroidery, never mind her very, very ill mother. I think that that the biggest prison for Elizabeth is the window with the empty gate, Aunt Agatha playing cards and that embroidery she’s been working on all episode. That’s her future unless she gets out of it.

Robin Yes and significantly she throws her embroidery away at one point, doesn’t she.

Barrett Yes. Yes she does.

Barrett Let’s take a quick break before our next scene to hear a word from our sponsors…

Barrett OK. Yes. So on to your next choice.

Robin My next my next is Demelza and Malcolm. 

Barrett Don’t call him MacNeil. We’re on first name terms now right.

Robin Yes yes. Which is. Which is a fascinating scene. And I’m reminded that when we did it back in ’75 it was played more for comedy, quite a lot of it. And until the end when it got serious. But it’s interesting that over 40 years things have changed and you can’t really play this kind well, I mean you can. But they decided that it was too delicate in a sense to play this rather threatening scene as it were for for laughs I mean because there is potential for that.

Barrett I actually felt like they had this they achieved some kind of very strange balance because even though it was threatening and and scary I still felt like I was laughing at him a little bit throughout it. So it was still funny, even though it was scary.

Robin It was still funny until you realized that he was a really he really is a threat. And she realized that at the same moment one has to say that she is now in the garden beforehand and at the ball she’d allowed him to kiss her. I mean not in a very convincing way but certainly I mean she hadn’t exactly let him on but she hadn’t she hadn’t slapped his face or anything. And and she gave him the name of the room she was in, interestingly yes because it was her. And of course. And so it’s no surprise to her that he turns up and he slips in and she’s got a problem on her hands, and realized very quickly that what she’s been sort of trying to do in her mind is to get her own back on Ross and she’s she’s decided on this strategy. And it just isn’t isn’t working because she cannot do it. It’s not in her character to do it. 

CLIP 

Demelza Are you kind?

Captain MacNeil Immensely. 

Demelza Then I beg you to bear with me , to understand, why I led you to believe…’Tis on account of my husband…

Captain MacNeil Don’t think of him.

Demelza He’s betrayed me with another.

Captain MacNeil Is he insane?

Demelza And because of that, I thought, I should do the same.

Captain MacNeil Most assuredly.

Demelza Please. Please, just hear me out.

Captain MacNeil Have I told you how beautiful you are?

Demelza I begin to realise something about myself, call it weakness if you will, but I cannot give myself. 

Captain MacNeil You can.

Demelza To any man except my husband. I am bound to him. I wish it were not so but…

Captain MacNeil My angel, it does you credit to be so delicate. But think for a moment of me, who’s been looking forward to this encounter as to a mortal’s taste of heaven. Your duty now is not to your husband, but to me.

Demelza Malcolm, please. Malcolm stop! Stop! Malcolm! STOP!

Captain MacNeil I like a woman who knows her own mind. I thought you were such a one. My mistake.

Robin And she just collapses and it all all of the real grief comes. 

CLIP

Demelza I hate you, Ross – I hate you!

Barrett She’s so vulnerable here in this scene. She’s not just physically vulnerable I mean she she says the thing she says I’m bound to him and it just hurts so much because she had gone to this sort of this like confusing humiliating situation to try to be someone else to be someone who is who is hard. Like Margaret, and who doesn’t care. And she couldn’t. She’s she’s authentic and vulnerable and that’s I think that’s why it’s it’s so sad when she’s sobbing later.

Robin She’s vulnerable but she sees Margaret off actually and rather an effective way  You have to take care if you start you know a little verbal attack on her. She’s she gives us good does. So in a number of on a number of occasions and certainly in this occasion Margaret does not win the exchange. 

Barrett And she will also do that in support of you know someone she loves like Verity.

Robin Yes, yes.

Barrett Don’t cross her. She’ll give it back much worse than that she got.

Robin No I was just thinking that you know that. She says I hate you. Ross I hate you Ross and what is the other side of that coin. Say I love you. She it’s a sign that she she really you know she’s she’s very very much in love with him which is I hope for the future of course.

Barrett So my next. My next scene picks up after she’s made her escape through the window. The next morning and we see her walking on the beach. And you know poor, poor Demelza just to die. Just to digress for a moment Demelza finally gets a beautiful gown right? Finally she gets this gorgeous crimson gown and she ends up wearing it through the surf. That’s so sad.

Robin It is, yes.

Barrett She should have worn that gown and ended in triumph. But no it’s her morning after dress and it’s never a good sign for a woman who is heartbroken and wearing the same outfit that she went out the night before in. And who among us hasn’t been there with the mascara trailing down the face, despondent heartbroken.

Robin I don’t think I have, actually.

Barrett Well you haven’t, the mascara.

Robin Not the mascara. I may have been heartbroken but I’m sure I was wearing my mascara.

Barrett Well then you were not hurt. You weren’t working it to full effect. I don’t know. Maybe you needed some for some makeup on stage and then you didn’t perform to your hopes and maybe I don’t know.

Robin But that’s true. That’s probably true several times in my career. Back in the dressing room.

Barrett So she’s she’s just poor thing. She’s a mess but she’s more Demelza now than she was the night before that ridiculous hairdo and the face powder and everything it’s just gone. yes it is.

Robin It’s an odd look isn’t it? It doesn’t feel comfortable, somehow.

Barrett And so there’s sort of a nakedness to her that’s just more vulnerable than ever. And so the scene that ensues is kind of more of the same as the first and second one you and I talked about because Ross is being just so stupid and she is trying to clarify it and nothing goes further but that. That those those two being together on the beach which is the site of so many important moments for them that the fact that this scene took there and how it took place there and how dramatic it was with her in her red dress that sort of trailing in the in the crashing surf behind her and that you know it begins with her footprints but I think that just like that scene is a state of mind and it’s so powerful that it stayed with me over all the ensuing years. So for that reason I chose it. 

CLIP

Ross Demelza…

Demelza Ross! How kind of you to come and meet me! Did you have a pleasant time at Trenwith?

Ross I told you, I went to Truro to meet Richard Tonkin.

Demelza Whatever you say, Ross. Do what you will. Go and live with her if you wish.

Ross It’s quite possible that her marriage will still go ahead.

Demelza No doubt you did your best to prevent it.

Ross No doubt I did .

Demelza Does she love George, then?

Ross No she does not. Demelza, I cannot blame you for your anger. But if you could bide awhile – have a little patience…

Demelza Patience?

Ross This thing will play itself out, sooner or later.

Demelza  Will it? Oh, I see. So you wish me to sit an’ twiddle my thumbs till you decide whether or not you want me?

Ross It’s not a question of wanting you. It’s a question of not wanting her.

Demelza Do you not you want her?

Ross No! I don’t know, sometimes…

Demelza I’m not content to be second best.

Ross Have I asked you to be?

Demelza Have you not made me so?

Ross Why am I here, Demelza? Why d’you suppose I’m still here?

Demelza I don’t know why you are still here Ross. Why are you still here? Because Elizabeth can’t make up her mind? 

Ross No!

Demelza Because Elizabeth does not want you? Because she knows George is the better bet?

Ross I came here with good news! I came here to tell you that Blewitt can repay the money I lent him. We can reopen Grace!

Robin And he does see her from the cliff and he sees her walking through the surf and he might have thought in this heavy dress that she was she was about to walk out into the ocean. I mean I don’t know whether in his state I mean I think probably with that’s thinking too much of him and probably but but the image could be of a woman distraught, on the beach in in the surf. She could. And and with a heavy dress on you know it could be disastrous. 

Barrett No. And that’s not a Demelza move.

Robin No it isn’t, you’re quite right.

Barrett I mean she is nothing if not a survivor. But he may have thought that though. Which just goes to show that he wasn’t worthy of her. 

Robin That’s true. He did rush down. I think he was he was concerned at least I mean you know at least he was concerned. We’ll give it now. Okay now. So a great choice. Great choice. I mean, they’re wonderful scenes.

Barrett They’re so good. I just want to call out a scene really quickly. Where it’s Elizabeth’s sort of final conversation with and Agatha where they’re finally honest with each other.

CLIP

Agatha You must take the decision alone.

Elizabeth Aunt? 

Agatha You cannot wait for him to help you.

Elizabeth I don’t understand. How can he treat me so? How can he leave things so up in the air?

Agatha And not for the first time.

Elizabeth Exactly! Once before I waited for him to come and see me, and when he did not…

Agatha You married Francis. And now?

Elizabeth I do not know! He’s deserted me. He tried to stop this marriage but offered nothing in return. He has taken what was not rightly his and walked away from the consequences. What can I do? I’m in a cage! Why did he have to come? I hate him for it! He’s left me with only one possible choice!

Barrett And then cut to the wedding. It’s amazing. So good. She does a great job in this episode and you know especially because so much of the time she just has to sort of stand there gazing out the window or like you know show her anxiety through being silent and and sort of still. So this this is a wonderful transformation. 

Robin She’s angry this time and her anger comes through. Yeah she’s really because I mean and certainly the the thought must have been this is going to happen from Ross’ behavior. This is going to happen. And he he doesn’t turn up again. Right. Yeah.

Barrett So it should have been the episode in which Ross’s numbers started going up again. But I’m giving him a zero. Robin.

Robin Absolutely no question. I mean he he made it easy for us.

Barrett In fact one might argue that he’s in the negatives now. 

Robin Well that would be fun.

Barrett That would be fun. That is a long way to go. He only has one episode left in this season.

Robin Oh wow. So I’ll put him up minus one percent. 

Barrett Minus one. And let’s see if he can leak out an actual apology. Then he might get up into the into the positive numbers again. 

Robin Well, but it’s a hard one isn’t it? 

Barrett Yeah. I can’t wait.

Robin I can’t wait. Thank you so much.

Robin Thank you, Barrett, it’s been a great pleasure.

Barrett Till next time.

Barrett Elizabeth Poldark continues to make some baffling choices, but actor Heida Reed has no regrets about her character’s journey on the series. She explains where Elizabeth’s motivations come from in a conversation with my colleague Jace Lacob on our companion podcast, MASTERPIECE Studio.

Jace How do you see Elizabeth’s journey as a character over the last two seasons and how has she changed since the first time you meet her as Francis’s fiance at the start of the series?

Heida Reed: Yes, um, she’s, she’s a completely different person on that point, you know. Everything that she set out to have and be has kind of come falling down on her. She’s, uh, Francis did not end up being the husband she thought he was going to be. And then obviously she ends up a widow. Um, I think, I think, at the beginning of the second series, she realizes that she kind of needs to take matters into her own hands and, and do things herself in order to get anything done, um, so she becomes a, a little bit more, um, go-getting but also manipulative. Um, and she just, and she realizes that, you know, her feelings for Ross are, uh, still there, and, uh, and it seems like she, she just can’t help it. She can’t help it and she, she, and that’s I think where her manipulative side kicks in. She just needs to know that a, a piece of, a piece of his heart is still hers, um, however, selfish that may be. So she becomes a little bit more selfish actually, a lot more selfish.

Jace: She does.

Heida: Yeah.

Jace: But also it’s about survival, I think, for her.

Heida: It is about survival. Obviously, that night of passion isn’t that some, some … That’s like pent up frustration like over a decade, basically, something that they almost had to get out of their system in order to move on. Um, but it kind of like leaves obviously a lot of complications. Um, so yeah.

Jace: Uh, now, Ross and Elizabeth do finally give into their long simmering passion and he breaks down the door at Trenwith,

Heida: U-huh.

Jace: … uh, to demand that Elizabeth not marry George. It’s a very violent moment.

Heida: Yeah.

Jace: But turns passionate.

Heida: It does.

Jace: What was your take on the scene when you read it in the script?

Heida: Um, it was such a sensitive approach. Everyone was so wary of the sort of very, very fine balance between violence, and passion, and love, and sex. And, um, it needed to sort of come across that it, that it, it wasn’t driven by violence but there was a lot of anger, you know, that initiated it, I guess. Um, but, yeah. I mean, I’ve been told by, I’ve been told about it and, uh, I read the chapter. I read the chapter of when it happens in the book. And it’s, he doesn’t really go into much detail so there’s a lot that you can interpret from it. So, um, so I didn’t know what to expect but I think Debbie did a really good job with sort of balancing it out. And, uh, filming it was great and we had a great time doing it. But we took, it was a very sensitive scene. We took all, all day. I think we took all day and then the next morning to do just that scene.

Jace: Yeah, I think, you know, given the violence that proceeds their consummation, and Elizabeth’s reluctance initially, you know, could be viewed as problematic but I think it walks that very thin line.

Heida: Yeah, but, yeah, but I mean, I think it’s okay that it’s viewed, viewed as problematic because it’s not like, you know, they’re walking a fine line of morality, you know, in that, in that moment. They’re both, you know, sort of dancing, dancing with the devil a little bit right there. But, um, yeah, she resists because, you know, she is a lady and, you know, and, and she doesn’t want to ever … She, I mean, Elizabeth is kind of … I, I used to say about her, she’s kind of cursed with doing the right thing all the time. That, she’s sort of throws that out of the window, eventually, but she still, that is in her like code. So that’s why she resists and then she just gives in She just goes, “Oh, what the hell, you know, this is what I want.” So she starts to kind of, yeah, give herself a little bit more of what she wants which makes her, you know, very fun for me to play. 

Jace: Does this tryst change Elizabeth’s intentions to marry George?

Heida: Uh, yeah. It definitely puts a little halt to it. Um, and she, she’s hoping that Ross will make some sort of a decision. I don’t think that she ever thinks that he will leave her. But, you know, it’s like, it’s like if you buy a ticket for the lottery and you’re like, “I’m probably not going to win. But like may-, like maybe there’s just a tiny, little chance that I’ll be a millionaire.” I think that’s where she’s at and she’s kind of like, “If there is that one percent, um, then I have to wait and see if it, you know, if that happens.” So she postpones and she sort of, and, and George is, um, George is being very, uh, frustrated by it. And, um, she, uh, yeah, she’s just kind of like dancing around waiting for Ross to make a decision which is very frustrating for her.

Barrett That was Poldark star Heida Reed, in conversation with MASTERPIECE Studio host Jace Lacob. You can hear more of her interview and other interviews with the Poldark cast on our MASTERPIECE Studio podcast, available at pbs.org/masterpiecestudio, or on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Radio Public or wherever else you listen to podcasts.

Coming up next: a riot at Trenwith.

CLIP

George Be advised – we have firearms – and won’t hesitate to use them!

Jud Come on, then – Come on!

George Take aim!

Barrett We’ll survey the damage, next time on Mining Poldark.

And you can join us in our rewatching adventure here on Mining Poldark by watching the entire series on PBS Passport — a new member benefit from your local PBS station. You can watch select MASTERPIECE titles like Poldark, Downton Abbey or Victoria as a part of the Passport experience. To learn more, visit pbs.org/getpassport.

You can also follow along with us on the the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel, available as an add-on service to your Amazon Prime Membership.

Mining Poldark is hosted by me, Barrett Brountas, with co-host Robin Ellis. We’re produced by Nick Andersen, with help from Robyn Bissette. Meredith Wheeler is our field producer. Tina Tobey-Mack is our sound designer. Susanne Simpson is our executive producer. The executive producer of MASTERPIECE is Rebecca Eaton.

Sponsors for MASTERPIECE on PBS are Viking Cruises, Raymond James and The MASTERPIECE Trust. Poldark is a Mammoth Screen production for BBC, co-produced with MASTERPIECE.