Mining Poldark

And after all of that, we're finally here: the end. Five seasons of copper, chaos and romantic mishaps comes to a touching close on the Cornish shores, and so, too does this podcast. Co-hosts Robin Ellis and Barrett Brountas bid Ross and company farewell one final time.

Could we really be here? Is there really only one episode of Poldark remaining? We'll ignore the pending goodbye by focusing on Ross, who seems to be continuing his ongoing trend of making questionable choices in the coastal caves. Is he a spy? A traitor? Did we miss something? The verdict is still out.

The British justice system works its harsh way through Col. Ned Despard’s imagined case of treason, ending in a gruesome public hanging. But it’s not all bad news for our heroes this episode. And in a special treat for dedicated Mining Poldark listeners, Andrew Graham — son of Poldark novelist Winston Graham — joins co-host Barrett Brountas in a frank conversation about Cornwall, Ross and real British history.

Drake has made his fair share of mistakes during his years in and around Cornwall's Sawle village. Several of said mistakes have lead to his near death, multiple times. But never fear, dear viewers and listeners! He's got more mistakes up his blacksmith’s sleeve. 

Colonel Ned Despard hasn't been long for Cornwall when he gets it in his head to stage a raid on the great house of Trenwith. It might seem like a good idea, sure — but knowing criminal justice around here, we can't see this working out in his favor. 

As Sir George tumbles further down his troubled mental path, his Uncle Cary taps a local doctor with less than healthy healing methods. Thank goodness Dr. Dwight is around to save the day...but who will rescue young Valentine?

Colonel Ned Despard is a free man again, but vile below-ground conspiracies suggest he won't stay that way for long. Dr. Dwight makes no new friends by defending the rights of a criminally insane, would-be royal assassin, while Sir George Warleggan furthers his descent into grief-stricken madness. Our new Cornish century continues to surprise.

In this debut episode of the fifth and final season of our series, we meet a slew of new characters, including Ross Poldark, Assassination-Avoider. We’re confused about the series of events that led our rebellious young hero to a life of noble order-keeping, just as we’re also concerned about the arrival on the scene of Colonel Ned Despard, a fellow lusty-warrior type from Ross and Dwight’s time at war.

It's a dramatic wrap of a rather heady fourth season of Poldark, with new Warleggans, old flames and fresh tragedy afoot. Elizabeth may not be the most popular of characters, but you can't say she doesn't make up her mind when she needs to. 

Our heros make way for the British capital, and everyone has a rather jolly good time for a short while. But political intrigue and personal vendettas catch up with Ross and Demelza, and a slimy fellow MP leads to familiar familial tensions between our romantic leads. Horace plays a key role in a lovely moment, though, which helps resolve some of the sore feelings.

There's no place like home, and for our Cornish brethren, there's no place like Cornwall. We see Ross, Geoffrey Charles and even Caroline back in Cornwall for a change. (George is back, too, if you care.) It's a rare happy episode, and we're happy to see it during this gloomy season. It will last, surely? Surely?

The least-holy of Cornish ministers, the Reverend Ossie Whitworth, is served his just desserts courtesy the cuckolded husband of his sister-in-law mistress. Ross Poldark, MP, gets an invite to meet the Prime Minister, and we wait and watch for what comes next. 

Dr. Dwight is correct, as usual, and his tragic diagnosis of baby Sarah comes ominously true. George, too, succeeds in proving everyone wrong, as he buys his way back into Parliament several times over. Might we have a cheerful episode, for a change?

Remember cousin Verity? She's back in town, and every bit the peacemaker between the rival sides of the Poldark-Warleggan feud. If only she had arrived in Cornwall with a pile of cash — there's trouble at Pascoe's bank, and George is on the hunt.

We mourn for Demelza's loss of her poet love, Hugh Armitage, even as we cheer the slow resolution of our favorite Cornish couple. But resolution must come quick — we've got Ross Poldark, MP in store and the halls of Westminster on the horizon!

Another new season of Poldark means another new series of crises. This time around, we've got hunger, riots and wrongful death sentences. Thankfully, our reluctant hero steps up for a change. Will his noble deeds continue?

Ross and Elizabeth may be a couple who never can really be, but both step up, separately in a big way. Elizabeth lays it all out for George, who finally puts his (correct) suspicions about baby Valentine away, and Ross accepts his community's call to action for future political obligations. Another season done and dusted — surely no more troubles will befall our heroes next time around?

George Warleggan is elected the Member of Parliament for Truro and Ross Poldark is elected as our least favorite grump who refuses to act. And it's not just in politics where Ross should make moves — his marriage to Demelza is under increasing pressure from the poetic Hugh Armitage, who doesn't seem to have any qualms about stepping in on true love.

It's party season in Cornwall, as Dr. Dwight and Caroline finally tie the (official) knot and Aunt Agatha Poldark prepares for her 100th birthday. But George Warleggan isn't such a fan of the aged auntie, which leads to the showdown of the century.

As we've all learned in these many seasons of Poldark, whatever romantic couplings seem most correct are often the ones that we, the viewers, cannot ever have. So we're sad to see the young Morwenna Chynoweth and Drake Carne be torn apart by — who else — George Warleggan.

Cue the action music — Ross Poldark, reluctant hero, is riding into action in France. He's successful, bringing home Dr. Dwight and the dashing Lieutenant Hugh Armitage, but what ongoing consequences will his recklessness bring?

Bad harvests, poor judgements and evil vicars — this is the world that newborn Clowance Poldark has entered in to. Meanwhile, in France, Dr. Dwight does his best to treat his fellow prisoners, leaving us all to wonder when the good times will return to Cornwall.

It's a veritable spring break at Trenwith, as George and Elizabeth and baby Valentine ship off to Truro, leaving Aunt Agatha, Geoffrey Charles and Morwenna home alone. It's a joy, but Ross's French reconnaissance mission is just the opposite.

Generations of Poldarks have been local magistrates, Ross is told — but that line of local service ends with the man from Nampara. Plus, young love is blooming at Trenwith, but prospects look less than rosy.

On this first episode of the third season of Poldark, there's a lot of new blood in Cornwall. Baby Valentine Warleggan arrives, 'early,' and so do two of Demelza's dashing brothers and a kind young Chynoweth cousin. With all the new, Mining Poldark listeners should never fear — Robin Ellis and Barrett Brountas are still here to give the full picture, all season long.

An angry mob sets upon Trenwith (and it's not just Ross Poldark). As our second season draws to a close, George and Elizabeth finally wed, Dr. Dwight and Caroline fall back in love and the Cornish villagers ask for justice. Yet another batch of problems seems set to spring up in Cornwall. Come along and unpack with us.

Demelza steps out for a change, and we can't say we blame her — but could anybody blame Elizabeth for waiting for Ross to come back to Trenwith? Everybody waits for Ross, including our co-hosts.

It's perhaps the most controversial episode of the entire five season run of Poldark, and rather than spoil the plot points, we'd say it's important to take a listen as our co-hosts let the episode fully breathe.

Ross goes smuggling, and mostly fails on all fronts — as does Dr. Dwight in his pursuit of Caroline. We learn about the dangers of trusting village strangers, and smuggling remains a bad idea for everybody.

If there's a grieving widow, there's a desperate suitor there to claim a prize. George Warleggan swoops in to Trenwith, offering Elizabeth a shoulder to cry on. We'll cry, too, in our latest discussion.

At the very moment when cousin Francis finally reentered everyone's good graces, he leaves this world behind, drowning in a disastrous mine accident. Elizabeth suggests she still might care for Ross, and our hearts stay broken forever.

The old Poldark mine, Wheal Grace, opens its doors yet again, and the Poldark family expands with the addition of wee baby Jeremy. Francis continues to reform, finally accepting Verity's marriage to Captain Blamey. Can the reform streak continue? We'll consider the options.

Francis pulls together and hosts a lively harvest celebration, reuniting both sides of the Poldark clan in opposition to the hated Warleggans. Ross, meanwhile, ignores the glad tidings and makes his true feelings known. What is he thinking? We try and sort out the Poldarks in all their confusing complexities, together.

He's innocent! He's innocent! (Which we all already knew of course, but it's nice to see the 18th Century Cornish justice system agreeing with the facts for a change). But the trial itself is worth a closer look — and our co-hosts do just that.

Ross refuses all aid and awaits his judicial fate — and our podcast co-host, Robin Ellis, aka the Reverend Dr. Halse, offers little help. Francis takes his woe into his own hands, and Dr. Dwight meets a bright young thing new to Cornwall. We're back in action, and everything is happening all at once. Welcome to season two!

Talk about a season finale! Putrid throat comes to Cornwall, and baby Julia is taken before her time. The Carnmore Copper Company fails, a Warleggan ship crashes on Poldark land a mob of hungry poor folk takes what they want from the ruins. Of course, Ross is blamed for the riot, and we end on a clifftop with a grieving Demelza watching her husband led away by soldiers. Here's to season two, right?  

Verity is Mistress Glumps no longer, as she runs away from Trenwith and becomes Mrs. Andrew Blamey. It's good news for Verity, but bad news for Ross, as Francis (correctly) blames Demelza for arranging the wedding and tattles on Ross' elusive Carnmore Copper Company. Remember this episode — it's important.  

Maybe public social functions aren't where Ross Poldark shines, but his wife, Demelza, is the talk of the town at a fancy Warleggan ball. Not that we blame the morose Ross — his efforts to save Jim Carter from jail are for naught, and young Jim dies in his hands. 

Ross' best friend, Dr. Dwight Enys, arrives in Cornwall in order to study health conditions in miners, and he arrives just in time to help deliver one particular miner's first child, baby Julia. On the wealthy side of town, cousin Francis loses everything, and the family mine is shuttered.

For the hero of a swashbuckling romantic drama, Ross and company spend an awful lot of time searching for rocks underground. But good news! They've found copper in the mine. And even better — Demelza is pregnant. 

Podcast co-host Robin Ellis makes his first appearance in this episode of Poldark, playing the noble Rev. Dr. Halse, a local judge with a bone to pick with Ross. Could it be, perhaps, that the Rev. knows what becomes of Ross as the series goes on? We'll find out! Plus, a surprise marriage you probably were expecting. 

It's ball season in Cornwall, and (almost) nothing good happens to our heroes at a gathering of the county nobles. Cousin Verity meets an alluring sea captain, sure, but Ross and Elizabeth's obvious lingering chemistry gives Francis something to worry about. And we're given our first real taste of George Warleggan, Poldark villain. And worst of all, a duel!

On this very first episode of Poldark, we meet all the key characters who will come to shape the series — Ross, Demelza, Elizabeth, Francis, Verity, Aunt Agatha, George,Prudie. We also meet our Mining Poldark podcast hosts — Robin Ellis, who the original Ross Poldark in the 1970s adaptation of Winston Graham’s novels, and Barrett Brountas, a MASTERPIECE staffer and Poldark superfan. Come along on our journey as we explore the entire scope of this beloved series, episode by episode!

You already know the story…boy meets girl, pride meets prejudice, all in a beautiful wrapper: the dramatic Cornish cliffs and dazzling sea. And as we get ready for the final season of Poldark, we here at MASTERPIECE are starting a new podcast we’re calling Mining Poldark, so you can relive the romance, the adventure and the exploits of our flawed hero all over again. Hear co-hosts Barrett Brountas and Robin Ellis — the original Ross Poldark from the 1970s adaptation of Winston Graham’s classic novels — preview the new podcast. New episodes launching soon — subscribe now!