Poldark season 4: Everything you need to know

From Digital Spy

That black moon cast a long shadow over Poldark's latest series – the darkest outing yet saw rugged Ross (Aidan Turner) faced with betrayal, heartbreak and the loss of more than one beloved character.

So where next for BBC One's sweeping Sunday night drama? And how much longer will Aidan Turner's gorgeous phizog stay on our screens?

The answers to these questions, and more, lie ahead.

Poldark season 3, episode 9: Where did we leave off?

The third series of Poldark closed on a downbeat note: Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) cheated on Ross with suave, sight-impaired Hugh Armitage (Josh Whitehouse) – and while he might suspect something's off, officially her infidelity remains a secret... for now.

While his personal life may be in tatters, Ross's career also took an interesting new turn. He finally embraced his role as the people's hero, deciding to pursue a career in politics and take down the likes of horrid George Warleggan (Jack Farthing) from within the belly of the beast.

Mr. Ross is heading to Westminster... but will his marriage survive?

Poldark season 4 filming: When does shooting begin?

Aidan Turner announced in April this year that Poldark would be returning for a fourth series, with filming beginning in September.

Filming is again expected to take place across the South West of England – in Cornwall, of course, but also Bristol - with some additional shooting in London.

Poldark season 4 air date: When will it premiere?

Poldark has jumped all about the schedule – its first outing came in the spring of 2015, with a second series following in the autumn of 2016. The next series was initially expected to follow series 3's example and go out in the summer of 2018.

But it could even be earlier. "I think it's probably a different time to last year, it's probably earlier from what I can gather," said Aidan Turner - so we might be looking at a late spring launch.

Poldark season 4 cast: Who will star?

Though we lost Aunt Agatha (Caroline Blakiston) and Captain Henshawe (John Hollingworth) in the third series, Poldark still has a sizeable roster of regular characters all expected to return for the fourth.

Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark)

Eleanor Tomlinson (Demelza Poldark)

Ruby Bentall (Verity Blamey)

Christian Brassington (Reverend Osborne Whitworth)

Ellise Chappell (Morwenna Whitworth)

Beatie Edney (Prudie Paynter)

Jack Farthing (George Warleggan)

Sean Gilder (Tholly Tregirls)

Luke Norris (Dr Dwight Enys)

Heida Reed (Elizabeth Poldark Warleggan)

Harry Richardson (Drake Carne)

Josh Whitehouse (Hugh Armitage)

Gabriella Wilde (Caroline Enys)

Tom York (Sam Carne)

With another time jump on the cards, Harry Marcus - who won fans over with his charming turn as Geoffrey Charles in the third series - will be departing, with Louis Davison (son of Peter Davison) replacing him as an older version of the character.

Phil Davis, who played Ross's uncouth man-servant Jud Paynter in the first two series, decided to sit the third year out and while the actor's insisted that a comeback isn't "out of the question," he WON'T be appearing in series 4.

As far as new characters go, Rebecca Front will also be joining Poldark as Lady Whitworth,the formidable mother of nasty Reverend Osborne.

We'll also be introduced to the dreadful Monk Adderley (Max Bennett), a friend to George who sets his sights on Demelza and so joins the show's ever-swelling ranks of sexually aggressive male villains.

Poldark season 4 episodes: What happens next?

Here's a synopsis for series 4: 1796: Ross must defend Cornwall from an empowered George Warleggan, and risks everything he holds dear as he embarks on a political journey which takes him to the nation's capital.

Demelza finds her loyalties torn, Elizabeth tries to strengthen her marriage, Morwenna continues to be oppressed by husband Reverend Ossie Whitworth, and the Enyses are tested as never before.

With the third series having left off partway through Winston Graham's sixth Poldark novel The Four Swans, the next run of episodes will draw on the final third of that book and all of the following novel, The Angry Tide.

"[Ross] does take George's seat – he beats George," Horsfield told Radio Times. "At the end of this series, we see him coming to the realisation that next time a seat is offered he has to take it.

"He's not desperate to head off to Westminster, but a catastrophic happening in episode one of series four makes him realise that in order to have the power to effect any change, he needs to get out of his comfort zone."

As for matters of the heart, with Demelza having cheated on Ross, Horsfield told Digital Spy that there are more tough times ahead for the beloved couple.

"This is what we go on to explore in series 4. Ross and Demelza not knowing where their relationship was going, leaving it at a critical point, it just seemed a perfect place to end this [third] series, and therefore to begin to explore the ramifications of what's just happened in series 4.

"I like that people are discussing [Demelza's cheating] and aren't entirely sure [why she did it], because we have another series in which to explore that. That will be something that is interrogated during the course of series 4."

Poldark season 4 trailer: Is there any footage?

Poldark's second run closed with a new trailer featuring scenes from the next series, as filming on new episodes had already begun.

With series 4 not scheduled to begin shooting till September, series 3 wasn't able to offer the same. Instead, we were treated to a brief, specially-made teaser casting Ross against the backdrop of Westminster – hinting that we may see a number of scenes set (as well as filmed) in London.

Poldark season 5: Is the end in sight?

Though there's been no official word on the show's future, Aidan Turner has suggested that a fifth series of Poldark is also in the works... and that it will likely be the show's final outing.

"Four was green-lit, five hasn't been yet, and it wouldn't be fair of me to green light it, but it's probably looking like it may happen," he said. "I think we run out of things to do after series five, I think that would be our last one."

Turner later went so far as to say that series five is "definitely" going to happen, even though the BBC is yet to do so. He's also described the series as a whole as a "five-year gig", adding, "We've covered all the books, and the entire stories."

Horsfield has even suggested that the show's future is up in the air following following the fourth series. "We don't know how popular it's going to be; whether it'll continue to be popular, whether we'll be asked to do more," she told press including Digital Spy.

"At the moment, obviously, we're working on series four, and then if series five goes ahead, we'll have to consider what will be in that series five."

Back in August 2015, the BBC told Digital Spy that there was no truth to tabloid reports that the show had been commissioned for five more years, taking it up to six series in total.

But with Graham having written 12 novels, there's definitely still plenty of source material to be mined. There's a few obstacles in the way, though: the next book in the series, The Stranger from the Sea, picks up 11 years after the events of the The Angry Tide.

"There's a big time jump between two of the books and Ross gets older – and I can't pull off mid-50s!" Turner said. "So I don't know what will happen."

Will the show avoid the jump? Will it cover Aidan Turner in ageing make-up? Or even... *gasp* recast Ross?

"I know this sounds ridiculous, but we're not looking ahead to that time-jump at the moment," Horsfield insisted. "We only think of one series at a time and we are so in the midst of series 4.

"I'm just doing the final production re-writes to the series 4 scripts and we start shooting in September... and then obviously, at some point over the next six months, the BBC will let us know whether a series 5 is on the cards.

"We may not know that for quite some time. When that happens, then we'll start thinking about that possibility, but at the moment, we're just very fixed on series 4."

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