Barrett Brountas Revolution isn’t for everyone, it seems — the distant rumblings of the French Revolution have left both Dr. Dwight and Captian Blamey lost at sea.

CLIP

Ross Truro yielded little news – most of it vague and not to be relied upon. but there are rumours that the merchant ship – is the Esmeralda.  She appears to be missing.

Verity Dear God.

Caroline And the Travail?

Ross Lost off the French coast.

Caroline Oh heavens.

Ross There’s no way of knowing if any came ashore or if she perished with all hands aboard

Barrett And Ross, searching for information as to Dwight’s whereabouts, instead encounters an old adversary who makes him an offer that he actually can refuse — although he really, really shouldn’t.

CLIP

Rev. Dr. Halse Your cousin was a magistrate. Your uncle before him. There’s been a Poldark on the bench for the last hundred years.

Ross Then you’ll be glad to see I’ve broken with tradition.

Barrett Meanwhile on the domestic front, Morwenna and Drake are flirting dangerously close to romance, despite the warnings of literally everyone around them.

CLIP

Morwena I’m not sure St. Sawle would approve of us, making our frivolous wishes at his well.

Drake Mine wasn’t frivolous.

Barrett I’m Barrett Brountas, and this is Mining Poldark, a podcast from MASTERPIECE exploring the swashbuckling drama. And I’m joined, as always, by Robin Ellis, the original Ross Poldark from the 1970s MASTERPIECE adaptation of Winston Graham’s novels. Hey, Robin!

Robin Ellis: Hello, Barrett! Good to be here.

Barrett In a particularly busy episode like this, it’s especially helpful to have a full recap of the big plot points.

Robin Things have settled down a little after the Black Moon’s passing, may not last though. Ross claims to be a respectable country squire now hostage to fortune. The Carne brothers establish a home in Sawle and strengthen it with a stout oak bea, shipwreck flotsam Ross found on the beach. They carry it on their shoulders over half the county including, at their peril and against Ross’s wishes, Trenwith land. Worth the risk for Drake who meets Morwenna and Geoffrey Charles again and later leads them to the holy well where the water is sweet not salty.

Barrett: We explore the sacred and profane dichotomy through an actual baptism, the doctrine of Demelza, three wishes in the holy well ,and a bonus night swim with Drake and Sam but onto the bad news. Captain Blamey’s ship the Esmeralda has disappeared off the face of the earth and Dwight’s ship the Travail has been lost off the French coast. Caroline and Verity – Yes, Verity is back. Horray! – are frantic with worry.

Robin: The search is on for a worthy replacement for Ray Penvenen, Caroline’s uncle. On the magistrates bench, a man with the common touch and the opinion of Sir Francis Bassett. George, Hardly a man with a common touch, is lobbying him hard. Ross gets the nod but turns it down. Demelza is dismayed.

Barrett It’s so disturbing that not even hymn singing with Sam, arts and crafts with Drake, or well wishing with our own resident Romeo and Juliet, Drake and Morwenna  can cheer us. Indeed our only hope lies with the France bound Ross and well, Tholly.

So here we are to the big moments of the episode. And I would love it if you could start us off with your first big moment.

Robin OK. Well my first big moment. George and Sir Frances’s little interview that they have in Frances’s little gaffe in Tahiti as you say. Where George goes searching for the one up actually because he wants to become a magistrate. And this is an elegant scene at the heart of the Cornish establishment. And it reminded me that you know as Basset walks him out and I was reminded of walking into a scene. I had a friend who was a High Court judge and he invited Meredith and myself to a big event, a big dinner, an annual dinner. And we took a taxi to the inns of course. And this was in Middle Temple where incidentally in the room where we at, Twelfth Night was first performed by Shakespeare’s company. It was quite an experience to be in the same room and we sat at a table that had been floated down the Thames for Elizabeth the first. So it was quite an evening. But as we, as the taxi approached, we went through various gates and archways and doors and got out of the taxi and then walked through and I got the impression I was walking into the heart of the British establishment as it were. It was quite, quite extraordinary. And this scene just reminded me of that in fact they..he… Sir Francis walks George out. But if you reverse it, it’s… there are layers of rooms that he walks through and George is kind of penetrated into the heart of the Cornish establishment and trying to sort of establish himself as part of that establishment. And for Sir Francis in the subtle way that the establishment does, interviews him on the on the walk and asks him what do you do, because he’s a self-made man as well as George.

CLIP

Sir Francis He was a gentleman of the first degree. Possessed the common touch, lived a simple life. We of less exalted stock would do well to follow his example.

George And yet you yourself have risen far, Sir Francis, in wealth and status.

Sir Francis  As have you.  Do you believe that we who have acquired the privileges of wealth should enjoy superiority in all matters?

George I feel that – power should always be in the hands of those who know what to do with it.

Sir Francis  And justice?

George Superiority of intellect will always ensure that justice is done. As Ray Penvenen proved when he served as magistrate.

Sir Francis  Yes. However shall we replace him?

Robin And I think that probably decides Sir Francis that George maybe isn’t the first choice but it just it was saw the wheels of power. You saw the wheels of power working without the subject really realising that it was happening and I was fascinated by that.

Barrett It was, it was very good. I love that scene. I’m so glad you chose it. And I love your….the sort of context that you’re bringing to it, that as an American I don’t really have. So that’s fantastic as well. What I what I liked so much about it is you really see George trying very hard to come up with the right answer and you see a situation in which his money doesn’t give him the power. There’s some other kind of…. there’s something he doesn’t really have access to now the son that he has to…that he’s trying to penetrate and he….he’s just not the right man for the job. But that’s not going to stop George!

Robin No he doesn’t have the third dimension really. The sort of insouciant, not the insouciant, the ineffable kind of ease of Sir Francis as he smooths his way into this interview is compelling. Picking up I mean typically English cup of tea as well at the beginning and very delicate use of the cup of tea and he puts the cup of tea down and then he begins the interview on the walk which is quite eccentric.

Barrett Yeah.

Robin Anyway, I love the scene, and it just reminded me of how powerful, how powerful the inner workings are and you don’t even know it’s working.

Barrett And I don’t think I really understand Robin how…how this magistrate seat is chosen, really. It’s sort of like…the powerful put forward their guy and then back their guy and then it goes to a vote.

Robin No I think it’s probably in the gift of Sir Francis. I mean probably the chair. If there is a committee, I know it’s different 200 years ago so things have changed a little probably, but you know he may be, there may be a committee and they all sit round and discuss after the various interviews. But in this case maybe it is just Sir Francis who knows Ross I think. I mean certainly by reputation. Maybe it’s him that chooses. I don’t really know.

Barrett Well we’ll get to your role in that soon.

Robin Ahhh!

Barrett Yes we will. But before that we have a very sort of small scene. a domestic scene, that I really loved. It is, so it’s my first choice, the first one chronologically that comes, and it is where Verity is visiting and Elisabeth is getting ready and just putting on her just fancying up a little bit and Valentine in his crib is crying and crying and crying so loudly that Verity, new mom Verity, comes in carrying baby Andrew.

CLIP

Verity Forgive me, I heard crying and thought Valentine was in distress.

Elizabeth Yes, he often seems so.

Verity Will you not pick him up?

Elizabeth And have him think he may always have his own way? Geoffrey Charles never cried.

Verity Because you never left him to.

Elizabeth All children are different. If you have another, you’ll realize that. Forgive me. I hope and pray you will have the chance.

Barrett What’s interesting here, to me, is that in this episode we see a couple of our key players really trying to be something they’re not. We see Ross trying to be quiet. What does he call himself? You quoted it.

Robin Country squire.

Barrett Yeah. You’ve got to try to be a quiet country squire and we see Elizabeth trying to be, as she later says, a Warleggan right? And she is trying very hard to be aligned entirely with George. She’s trying very hard to sort of sever the pain that she feels in being separated from Geoffrey Charles and in order to do that she sort of I think needs to turn off everything. She’s so hurt by being separated from Geoffrey Charles that she can’t summon I think, this is my opinion, a maternal instinct for poor Valentine. And maybe that has something, maybe this leaving Valentine to cry also has to do with the fact that she knows he’s Ross’s and she’s hurt by Ross. So we’ll see what you think. But I liked this exchange very much because it was very hard to hear that baby crying and it was hard to see her leaving the baby. I felt a little bit like Verity in this position. You know I wanted to, I wanted to just pop in and pick up Valentine. Somebody needed him to. So I liked this a lot and I like this because also you know everybody’s always picking on Verity. She’s one of those people that’s just like a target for bullying and because she’s so good and kind and always means well and but she’s she manages to sort of bounce back. But it’s a terrific scene. What did you think?

Robin It is a terrific scene. And I was tempted to choose it actually but I think you’re being very kind to Elizabeth but you know and it’s interesting to hear what you said because I think you’re probably right although I wasn’t giving Elizabeth that kind of, I don’t know, credit really or understanding. It’s much more, as you I think quite rightly point out, a much more complex than that. I mean she does seem all the way through the episode to be, I don’t know, not only trying but actually succeeding and being you know pretty Warleggan in a sense. And I just remember that she is one of the…I just remember her mother who really is…I shouldn’t speak ill of the sick but you know… she is a bit of a case isn’t she.

Barrett Oh my, yes.

Robin She was the one who introduced the word vulgars into the series I think in describing you know the dirty people who live at the end of the lane as it were. So you know there’s a little bit of her mother in Elizabeth and maybe I was, I don’t know, crediting too much. I think you’re probably right and it is an appalling thing to say without thought that you know if you had another baby you’d understand oh oh oh dear dear dear. But then one does that. You know everybody does make mistakes like that especially if you’re in an emotional state like Elizabeth clearly is. I mean she’s not a happy bunny is she? I mean she’s not a happy person really. I think she thinks oh Lord I know. practically speaking, I made the right choice but oh dear oh dear.

Barrett Yeah. This necklace isn’t going to make up for it, right?

Robin Ah there, the fantastic necklace. No, she’s very graceful in accepting it and it did…I forgot to look. She was wearing it at the party I think, but I forgot to note whether you know whether it suited her. I’m sure it did. Yeah, so there are compensations, but this is a wonderful scene and an example of actually Verity’s…you know Verity does have a little of the wagging finger about her.

Barrett Oh she does!

Robin She certainly wagged her finger a couple of times at Ross in the course of things. And she has this very firm center and it’s quite severe sometimes you know.

Barrett You’re absolutely right. That’s so true.

Robin I do love her I think. And this fantastic scene of, in fact two scenes, of her looking,  I love the way you reference the looking out to sea element of the episode. It’s wonderful. Verity does it twice in this episode. First very, very tragically and brilliantly. I mean she does it wonderfully well and then brilliantly as well when she looks out to sea and imagines talking to her son that they’re going to be in Lisbon anytime soon and much relieved.

CLIP

Verity Lisbon awaits us sweetheart and Papa will be waiting for us. If we close our eyes, we can imagine we’re already there.

Barrett And I don’t want to go too far off course, but I have a question for you. First of all, the way that scene is treated I thought, “Oh well obviously Verity and baby Andrew are going to perish.” That the treatment of that scene was, it was given so much weight, as was her goodbye to Aunt Agatha, but really like getting that big scene on the cliff. You know “Andrew we’re going to Lisbon” and I thought how is it the two ships have just gone missing and there’s a war and Verity is going to hop on his ship to Lisbon. Isn’t that dangerous?

Robin It is odd isn’t it? Yes because even merchants I mean merchants shipping you know is at risk I suppose but the other thing is the Bay of Biscay, which they, through which they pass, is very dangerous in terms of weather and maybe the French fleet will not risk it. You know so, I don’t know, merchant seamen know the way, know the best routes through the storm so I don’t know. It’s a good question though yes it all seems very easy. Not now that we’ve heard quite quickly, I have to say. It’s almost as though email was, you know, was existing 200 years ago. I mean suddenly they know that he’s in Lisbon. I thought it took months to get anywhere in those days. But anyway…

Barrett But I guess that’s sort of the power of that scene of Verity. Maybe it’s just “goodbye Verity. We know we’re not going to see you until maybe we get one episode with you next season.”

Robin Yes.

Barrett All right. So, the next scene we have, you and I both chose the same.

Robin Oh good. I’m glad you chose this which I imagine is the…it’s the holy well seen.

Barrett Yes. The holy well.

Robin The holy well scene, which I had my doubts about because I thought, “Is this just too I don’t know too sentimental?” But it’s actually sentiment. It’s not sentimental. It’s a very touching and moving scene which I warmed to enormously watching it a couple of times. This is the scene where, if I remember rightly, Morwenna and Geoffrey Charles, they meet Drake, who I think spends most of his time on this best beach in Cornwall waiting for a site of Morwenna. Hoping that she comes into view and he is delighted, and of course they are delighted. Geoffrey Charles’s relationship with Drake is very charming and he’s like an older brother to him and it’s lovely to see. But with Drake and Morwenna it’s something else and Drake loves impressing Morwenna. By the way, Geoffrey Charles exhibits something of the class system when he says you know he rather disapproves the way dress Drake dresses, which is very charming as well. Anyway, here he’s found this holy well, which is in a cave and in the holy well there is a well of water, that is pure water. And it’s sweet. And he says come and see the, do you know about the holy well? Come and see the holy well and they go into this wonderful cave and it’s a wonderful piece of filming. Very atmospheric and very quiet and big faces

CLIP

Drake ‘Tis a wishin’ well too, they say. What you do is, dip your right hand in the water, sayin’ “Father, Son an’ Holy Spirit” an’ then your wish is granted.

Morwenna That’s sacrilege.

Drake ‘Tisn’, though, beggin’ your pardon. This be a holy place as much any church.

Morwenna I suppose so.

Geoffrey Charles I’ll go first. Father, Son and Holy Spirit…

Drake Father, Son an’ Holy Spirit! Now you, Miss Morwenna?

Morwenna Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I’m not sure St. Sawle would approve of us, making our frivolous wishes at his well.

Drake Mine was not frivolous.

Geoffrey Charles Nor mine!

Morwenna Nor mine.

Robin It’s a pledge in a sense of love between them. And just before they exit….

Barrett The shell bracelet.

Robin Yes, Drake puts this little bracelet into Morwenna’s hand and closes it. And this bracelet, it’s going to feature in the next few months and years, poor Morwenna. Then he walks away which is terribly impressive, I think. He walks away. He makes this little gift and then he walks away. And I think that was lovely. So, I loved it.

Barrett I love it too. I love it too. And like you I was, you know…..it borders a little bit on the precious right? But

Robin The precious is a good word, yeah

Barrett But it’s so beautiful and when I remember that these two are really teenagers, that helps me to understand…that helps me to appreciate this scene more. You know I would sort of if I thought: Oh they’re like kids from 2019 and they’re 20 right, then I’m rolling my eyes. But when I think that, what is he maybe 15, 16 you know? They’re young and it’s, there’s so much innocence there and it’s so sweet and it’s such a beautiful spot. And of course I’m dying to know, have you ever been there because it exists in real life..

Robin No I haven’t. No no. I had the best beach in Cornwall. Very good. We should look it up. I mean maybe it does exist you know maybe the world does exist. That would be an interesting question

Barrett I think it does.

 Robin The other thing is that they are innocent. That somehow there’s a little first love thing isn’t it and it has that really driving innocence about it. The sweetness and eagerness and… So what might be irritating at times you know has, in this scene anyway, is believable and touching and moving.

Barrett So, I have a question for you because I know without a doubt what Drake wished for. You think maybe that you know what Morwenna wished for. Is that correct? Do you think she’s already falling in love with him? Because I thought she was kind of just beginning to open herself up to him a little bit like she’s intrigued. But is she in love yet? Like he is?

Robin Well I think she’s conflicted. I think you know her very strict kind of position in society and also of course her position as an employee of governance. She’s been taught various ways of behavior. I think Drake has really caught her off balance in that sense. And she’s very reluctant to go into the cave. But Geoffrey Charles is wonderful positive. “Yes we are. Yeah we’re going. Don’t worry. Shut up. You know we’re going” basically right, breaks down the resistance and I mean she may not know that she’s in love with him but I think we know he gives her this this little bracelet.

Barrett What do you think she wished for?

Robin I think she wished for, well I’ll just put myself on the line. I think she wished for a continuation let’s say. I mean I don’t know. What do you think she wished for?

Barrett I think she’s enigmatic still. But she probably is wishing for, as you say, like a more of this. More maybe or that it would be okay right? Yeah. But um she’s very good at…at being good and doing what’s expected of her right now. Yes. So we’ll see. All right, let’s leave the holy well.

Robin Yes we must. I can see that you can ease yourself into the mind of a 15 year old girl rather better than me. I think probably so. I concede to you.

Barrett Lo those many years ago. All right. So now onto the next scene. What do you have next?

Robin My last scene is a scene within a scene. It’s within the party scene and it’s absolutely a highly charged scene in the middle of the party between Demelza, Verity, and at the end, thankfully Caroline. It’s an extraordinary scene where Verity is clearly up to her eyes in emotional sadness in a sense and she really thinks she’s lost this love of her life which she’s waited so long for. But she does the Verity thing.

CLIP

Demelza Do not lose heart – I’m sure he’s safe.

Verity Then why have we not had word?  I must prepare myself.

Demelza Verity…

Verity My dear, do not pity me. Pity Caroline. Her life with Dwight has barely begun and I’ve had six years of happiness. I have our beloved child. I never expected such joy, and if all is now lost, I’ll be forever grateful I’ve had it so long.

Demelza You’re too good.

Verity I’m not. I’m like you. You’ve learnt to make the best and to be grateful for whatever you have in your life.

Demelza Even Elizabeth an’ George?

Verity I confess, that disquiets me. The Poldarks are quick to anger and slow to forgive – but you?  Have you become so like Ross that you can no longer let go ill-will?  Here you are, in the same room, bound by ties of blood, yet unable to meet. Will you not let me bring you together?

Demelza‘Tis impossible.

Verity Why? What is the cause of this present feud?

Caroline Oh, my dear, your husband’s ship – the Esmeralda…

Verity Yes?

Caroline Captain Trevose has had word from the Admiralty. She put into port in Lisbon two days ago. Weather-beaten but unharmed.

Robin It’s brilliantly played by both of them. And Verity’s reaction is just fantastic….

Barrett It’s so good

Robin I thought it was very short but very well worth choosing.

Barrett It’s so good. And I….Your description of her as being charged up, that is…it’s perfect because there are all of these things cycling through her in this moment just as… you know humility and self-sacrifice and gratitude and you know judgment, right?…

Robin Yes.

Barrett …Of Demelza.

Robin Yes.

Barrett And it is. It’s because her emotions. Her fear. She is so ramped up and terrified that all these things happen. It’s so good. I’m so glad you chose that scene.

Robin Thank you. Yeah.

Barrett So yeah. And it’s kind of like a “very easy for you to say get over this problem with the Warleggens” right? She doesn’t know.

Robin No she doesn’t know. She doesn’t know anything. Well I mean you can’t blame her for not knowing because they haven’t told her really about the cataclysmic reason for all this and yeah she just doesn’t know the half of it in fact.

Barrett And so from the good news to the very, very problematic news, which is a terrific scene with our very own Reverend Dr. Hallse right? And our hero Ross Poldark up on the balcony.

Robin Well, we don’t have much time for this.

Barrett Oh stop. Come on. We have to talk about this great scene. There’s so much going on here because first of all when he sort of breaks in with Demelza and George, Demelza is very much on guard because you know. This is the one who wanted Ross hanged, right? And then, he wants a word with Ross, and George is like wait what’s going on here. And of course Ross doesn’t even want talk to him but he’s being good Ross tonight. So he goes up onto the balcony and then of all things you offer him the job of magistrate.

CLIP

Halse It’s possible we espouse the principle that a reformed sinner makes the best parson. It’s not simply in the matter of justice that one wields power. As a magistrate one has a say in the setting of rates, of taxes, the use to which they are put. One’s influence in many spheres is considerable.

Ross Then I’d be required to judge my fellow men.

Halse Naturally.

Ross Therein lies the problem.

Halse You should be aware that if you decline this role, it will be offered elsewhere.

Ross Nevertheless, I do decline.

Halse To Mr. George Warleggan.

Ross An admirable choice. George has all the qualities I lack!

Halse And lacks many of the qualities you have.

Barrett Do you find that surprising too?

Robin Well I did. Yes. But actually he is both a man of the cloth and a man of the course and so one …an amount of experience. So, in spite of his horribleness earlier on, and his determination to send people to their deaths, he does have a sort of lawyer’s instinct I think and he does say that the good in, well with the good, the rightness, perhaps, of the potential in Ross. And I think he’s genuinely, also he’s trying to do Sir Francis his bidding. He’s not above that also but he does perhaps see…

Barrett And doesn’t want George right.?

Robin …And he doesn’t, no he clearly doesn’t like George. I mean absolutely and he, that’s his last throes as it were, you know. If you don’t accept it, your great enemy, well known enemy George Warleggan will get it. Yeah, it’s a surprising scene but in the way when you think about it maybe not so surprising because the wheels of power, you know, they do compromise and they…. Yeah, that’s, yeah

Barrett But I think that it’s a great scene. It’s a great dramatic scene. I love this sort of verbal sparring or this debate really between the two. And I love just that it’s… that this happens up on this balcony…

Robin Well I tell you I was going to mention it. I mean it was very dangerous. I felt vertigo in fact. It was it was a long way down into that thing and I didn’t hardly look down in fact. And my shoes were not very well fitting, so the walk down, I do a walk down after telling George I think, and I held onto the banister for dear life and it tumbled down those stairs. It was quite precarious.

Barrett Wardrobe!

Robin Wardrobe. Yes.

Barrett Yeah but it was good because…. Well and back to that just for a second. You see George do this this little fist pump. Yes. Right. Which is just awful

Robin Oh great moment.

Barrett Now we know we’re in big trouble but you see like I love that this sort of these conversations where the real power is….It’s separate right? And down below, everyone else is down below. But here’s  the conversation up here where you’re not even noticing it. That’s going to make a difference for everyone. And I just, Ross has made such a huge mistake. I think it’s just that it’s the same youthful arrogance and pig headedness. And I think it’s illogical, honestly. It doesn’t…you know he saw, he was there when Francis was able to do the right thing, right, with someone who’d broken the law from poaching. He should have known that he could accept this and still retain his integrity. Don’t you think?

Robin Well I think there’s a sort of thing about the establishment as we talked about earlier and Ross does not have the establishment gene. In fact he has quite the opposite. Although he is from that background as it were. But there’s something in him that really…he thinks if he accepts this position that they’ve got him. They’ve got him. They’ve just put the lid on him. The tin lid. And also there’s this thing about judging other people. I mean he says at the end, “Well I have to judge others” and Halse says “certainly without doubt of course you will”. And he thinks back to poor…but of course Demelza is right as well in a sense because instead of you know sentencing poor Jim Carter to two years, from which of course he never came out, Ross could have sentenced him to a much more humane, you know, giving him a ticking off and maybe a light sentence or something. So Demelza’s quite right in that sense and you’re right that Ross is wrong. But there’s something in him that prevents him joining the establishment. That’s the thing he does not want

Barrett So that, I mean you have more understanding really that resistance in him. I feel like he should have matured out of it. But you really you really have a sense or where…

Robin It’s interesting that Demelza is now coming from where she comes from. It’s really quite a…you know she does respect the people with power and she’s right. They have the power. They can do it and it’s within their power. And I think he is wrong, but I understand why. I think I understand why. And he could at least have said, “Well thanks very much let me you know let me get down this staircase and advocate”…

Barrett A dangerous staircase.

Robin …I’ll give it a go. I‘ll think overnight. Can I just have a night to think about it?

Barrett Can I talk to my wife about it?

Robin Yes quite! Yes. Because that wouldn’t be good for the story but…

Barrett Well he’s Ross Poldark and I give him another five. He’s trying really hard to be good Ross but he makes a terrible decision. So what do you give him for this episode?

Robin Yeah five. A five. Yep

Barrett Let’s see, we’ll get him up. I have a feeling he’s gonna come out well next episode. Fingers crossed.

Robin Ah okay. All right, well we’ll see.

Barrett  Alright, this has been such fun. Thank you.

Robin This has been fun. Thank you.

Barrett Until our next episode together, I thank you so much

Robin I thank you too Barrett. It’s been a pleasure as usual.

Barrett Coming up next, it’s Ross Poldark, Action Hero, in Action — in la Belle France!

CLIP

Ross I am not leaving Roscoff till I have a list.

Clisson Then you must be on your guard monsieur. Every hour you remain puts you in greater danger. The Republic may turn a blind eye to the “trade”, but not to spies.

Ross We are not spies.

Barrett We’ll watch our hero avoid the guillotine next.

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 PBS MASTERPIECE Amazon Channel, available as a part of your Amazon Prime membership.

MINING POLDARK is hosted by me, Barrett Brountas, and Robin Ellis. We’re produced by Nick Andersen, with help from Robyn Bissette. Tina Tobey-Mack and Elisheba Ittoop are our sound designers. Susanne Simpson is our executive producer. The executive producer of MASTERPIECE is Rebecca Eaton.