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My mum and my sister are huge Poldark fans so were quite aggressive in their well-wishings for my auditions.

"Being told I had got the role of Geoffrey Charles was surreal, because 99.9 percent of your time as an actor is spent being rejected - so when you experience success it feels a little odd at first! My mum and my sister are huge Poldark fans so were quite aggressive in their well-wishings for my auditions. I genuinely still can’t believe that I am in a show that is going to be seen by so many people! Everyone on set was so lovely that when I was filming I was allowed to just be in the moment and tell the story without feeling any pressure."

Freddie describes what is in store for Geoffrey Charles is at the start of the new series.

"When you meet Geoffrey Charles at the beginning of the series he is very lost, particularly after losing his mother, Elizabeth (Heida Reed) at the end of series four. At the same time he is a product of his upbringing: everything is repressed and the way to deal with things is by drinking or spending money  you don’t have and doing material things to avoid dealing with any of the real emotional aspects of it all.

He is trying to find a purpose and he looks up to Ross (Aidan Turner) and has always wanted to see himself as this kind of alpha male type, so he decides he wants to join the military at Great Marlow to prove to himself that he can be a man with purpose, as the idea is that when you are an officer you are a gentleman. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or what class you belong to, that is your status and that appeals greatly to him."

Having never been welcomed or loved by his stepfather, George Warleggan (Jack Farthing), Freddie characterises the relationship between the two is as fractious as ever.

"Their relationship is very contentious - they despise each other. When you are young, if someone sees you in a certain way you tend to play up to that. George sees Geoffrey Charles as a spoiled brat, and so whenever he is in the company of George, Geoffrey plays up to that picture of himself, and succumbs to it. Those moments to film were amazing for me as Jack is such a brilliant actor.

Geoffrey Charles is much more similar to George than he would care to admit. They’re both obsessed with the family name, they’re both silently obsessed with status, and they are also both grieving and unable to properly deal with that. Both of them share this immense grief but neither of them would address it with the other, certainly not in a way that is caring."

Whilst Geoffrey Charles’s relationship with George is antagonistic at best, he has a bond with and admiration for Ross and Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) that is even stronger this series.

"Geoffrey’s relationship with Ross is very strong, and what is interesting is that he would always look up to Ross as the man he should aspire to be, but he also starts to realise this series how much Demelza has, behind the scenes, done for him. She was there for him when he was sick and he realises that she has actually been an important person in his life and he hasn’t shown her the gratitude he should have.

Scenes with Ross were easy to play, because when you have Aidan Turner puts his arm around you and acts brotherly it feels great, and is similar to what Geoffrey Charles is feeling."

Freddie reveals that Geoffrey falls in love this series with a fiery and independent young lady, Cecily Hanson (Lily Dodsworth-Evans).

‘When Geoffrey Charles first meets Cecily he tries his luck with her and is shut down, which causes him to come crashing down back to reality and realise that he is not nearly as cool as he would like to think. When they meet each other again they develop a companionship that neither of them have had with anyone their own age. To have someone they are equal with is new and exciting and they start this wonderful friendship.

Soon however, he develops feelings for her as she shows him that it is okay to be the person he really is, which is a sensitive young man and an emotionally engaged, vulnerable person. She also allows him to see that there are problems in the world far greater than his, and she teaches him to be a lot less selfish. When you find true love that person is meant to make you want to be the best version of yourself and that is what happens subconsciously for Geoffrey Charles when he meets Cecily. Then he hears she is set to wed someone unimaginable and he is completely derailed."

Foreword by Debbie Horsfield

"When I first picked up the novel Ross Poldark in 2012 I had no idea that seven years later I’d have adapted seven books and completed five series (43 hours!) of Winston Graham’s extraordinary Poldark saga.

In 2015, with great trepidation, we awaited the response to series one - knowing that the 1970s adaptation had been massively popular, and praying that we’d done justice to these amazing stories, characters and Cornwall. Fortunately the casting - Aidan (Turner), Eleanor (Tomlinson), Jack (Farthing), Heida (Reed), Luke (Norris), Kyle (Soller) and Ruby (Bentall) - found favour with audiences, and to our great delight we were asked for more.

Although none of us ever dared to look more than one series ahead, we found ourselves approaching the end of series four (and book seven, The Angry Tide) with something of a dilemma. Our cast was optioned for five series - so what to do with an 11-year time jump and five more books? We knew we’d never be able to wrap up five books in a single series, but no-one wanted to call time just yet, so we looked at another option.

In book eight (The Stranger From The Sea), 11 years down the line, we meet Ross abroad on a special mission for the government. How did he go from restless, sometimes reckless, and somewhat disillusioned MP, who despaired of ever really 'making a difference' in the world, to Special Agent Poldark, sent by the Crown to report from Portugal on the Peninsula War against Napoleon?

Winston Graham had left plenty of hints in book eight about events which had happened in those intervening years, but he gives little away about how Ross achieved that transformation. So for me it was the starting point, the way to navigate through series five. Winston Graham’s son Andrew endorsed my wish to continue his father’s methodology: looking at the historical context (Napoleonic Wars, Act of Union, fast-approaching Abolition of Slavery) and using real events and real people to drive the narrative.

So what would be our events and who would be our new characters? It seemed to me that one thing we had never met so far was a character to whom Ross really looked up to, even to the extent of hero-worship. So when I was researching the early 1800s I came across Colonel Edward Despard. Reading about him I was so reminded of Ross himself that I felt sure Winston Graham knew of him (though Andrew Graham thinks not).

Ned Despard was a war hero who, like Ross believed in justice, compassion, equality and liberty for all. His wife Catherine was a former slave from Jamaica. And her rise to be his equal, her determination in the face of prejudice and scorn was uncannily reminiscent of Demelza’s own journey. As was the love and devotion both couples felt for each other. I wanted Ned to be part of Ross’ journey towards greater maturity, to be the salutary lesson, his 'there but for the grace of God'.

Tracing Despard and Catherine’s real life story, intertwining it with Ross and Demelza’s and seeing them deal with the consequences of that entanglement, forms the spine of series five and introduces on the way other real-life characters such as James Hadfield (would-be assassin of George III), William Wickham (founder of the British foreign secret service) and Joseph Merceron (the 'Godfather' of East London). Inextricably involved with Ross and Demelza’s journey are Ross’s nemesis George Warleggan, as well as friends and allies Dwight and Caroline Enys, Sam, Drake and Morwenna Carne.

It feels strange, and a little sad, to be approaching the transmission of series five knowing that we won’t be returning to Cornwall, but it’s been an extraordinary journey for all of us and we feel truly fortunate to have lived with these characters and stories for so long. What’s next for me? A contemporary series. Watch this space. Not a tricorn in sight. I’m excited for the next project - but I’ll miss that Cornish surf!"

Character Descriptions

Ross
Ross hoped to put London behind him to focus on peaceful, family life, but a plea from his old Army Colonel, Ned Despard, compels him to the capital to help. As Ross’ world becomes entangled with the Despards', new alliances and old enemies threaten his loved ones and the nation itself, testing our hero’s resolve like never before.

Demelza
As she grows into her role of Cornwall’s beloved defender, Demelza is still looking out for the less fortunate of her world. But when the Despards enter her life, Demelza finds there are repercussions to getting involved: Cornwall needs her own help now more than ever, and new forces threaten all she holds dear.

Drake
Although he has finally married and settled down with Morwenna, Drake yearns to mend the wounds of her past. As the journey to wedded bliss proves uncertain, Drake’s love is tested. How far is he truly willing to go?

Sam
Sam is rising in the community and is admired as a leader. When Tess Tregidden makes it her mission to cause trouble, Sam makes it his to convert her wayward soul. As he helps Demelza in the community, an unexpected romance blossoms for him too.

Morwenna
Though reconciled with Drake in marriage, Morwenna struggles with intimacy, in the wake of her life with her brutish former husband. With the loss of John Conan still haunting her, Morwenna finds her old life overlapping with her new, but as the community come to rely on her she grows into a new role with a hope she had not foreseen.

Geoffrey Charles
Following his mother’s death, Geoffrey takes his future into his own hands and follows in Ross’ footsteps by joining the military. His path takes him to the capital, where an unlikely attraction finds him in the dangerous waters of forbidden love... 

George
Haunted by the loss of Elizabeth, George looks for his missing spark as he forges onward. His journey sees him entering into an alliance with merchant Ralph Hanson, whose business in the mahogany trade and influence in London promises to expand the Warleggan empire around the world.

Dwight
The future holds great promise for Dwight, who has finally gained recognition in his field. However, the arrival of the Despards comes to drive an ever-growing wedge between him and Ross, testing Dwight’s loyalty to his closest friend and the strength of his bond with Caroline.

Caroline
Caroline finds a new distraction in championing the Despards, but old insecurities arise as she joins her friends against their common enemy and finds she must battle with her demons once again.

Prudie
Having settled into her role in the Poldark family, Prudie is trusted to run the home and family in their stead. With new enemies emerging, Prudie‘s role as Nampara’s guardian becomes more important than ever and she must employ all her cunning to help save their world from being upturned.

Ned
An ex-army colonel and Ross and Dwight’s’ ranking officer in American Revolutionary War, Ned was made the governor of British Honduras, where he took a former slave as his wife and tried to implement policies ahead of his time. But when he locked horns with corrupt forces in his posting, Ned was recalled to London and locked away in Coldbath Fields prison, without a fair hearing, leaving him hungry for liberty, vindication and revenge.

Kitty
A former slave, Kitty fell in love with her master, Edward 'Ned' Despard, whom she married. In her fight to exonerate her husband, Kitty finds allies in our heroes and her resilience gains their admiration, as she carves a determined path through the moral corruption that surrounds them.

Tess
A former employee of Trenwith, when Tess suddenly finds herself without the means for an honest life, she harbours revenge against the upper classes. Bitter in her quest for a better life, Tess becomes a persistent thorn in our heroes’ sides, and her machinations threaten the stability of their homes.

Cecily
The daughter of Ralph Hanson, Cecily is a staunch supporter of the abolitionist movement, putting her at odds with her family and peers. Educated and independent, Cecily is ahead of her time. In pursuit of her own brand of happiness Cecily falls in love with a man in league with her father’s rivals, testing family loyalties as she tries to make her future her own.

Ralph Hanson
Father of Cecily and a wealthy mahogany merchant, Ralph Hanson seeks a new backer to fund his enterprise abroad. To this end he enters an alliance with the Warleggans, and crosses swords with our heroes when his dealings come to impact upon their lives.

Joseph Merceron
Joseph is a powerful and enterprising magistrate with connections and influence throughout the social and political tiers of London.

Related Programme Information

• Episode one
• Episode two