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Monday, March 09, 2015


THE STAR OF THE SHOW..

Quite rightly, the BBC`s new production of Poldark, screened for the first time last evening, is receiving very favourable reviews.   Partly because of the superb acting, the costume design, the production values but also, of course, the stunning locations.   It`s a costume drama, all heaving bosoms, intrigue, rivalries, goodies, baddies and the inevitable love triangle.   It seems to follow closely the characteristics and be true to  Winston Graham`s original novel, Demelza, which he crafted  in a wooden bungalow that he rented above Perranporth beach.

The leading actors will doubtless be catapulted to greater things following their captivating performances, not least Aidan Turner who plays Ross Poldark with a brooding conviction that will surely set pulses racing.  But perhaps a note of sadness is that it also features Warren Clarke in his last production before his untimely passing just last November, aged 67.

But for me - and I know of one or two others who will feel the same way - the real star of the show has to be the locations, especially those along the Cornish coast.   Last night`s first episode showed fleeting glimpses of places I have visited and grown to love and the list of locations shows that filming took place at such favourite haunts as Constantine Bay, Gunwallow Church Cove, the Camel Estuary, Porthgwarra (pictured above) and Botallack, which whilst showing the Crowns engine houses also demonstrated the usefulness of computer generated images.   

Now all of this leaves me convinced that I, along with like-minded devotees of the Cornish coast and the South West Coast Path, might happily do without the drama, the intrigues, the rivalries and, yes, even the heaving bosoms if we could just have a series of programmes that just shows the coastline and the 630 miles of the Coast Path.  Whilst I am full of admiration for the Poldark series, I confess that all I`m really watching it for is the chance to see those glorious places which call me back much more than even the most compelling costume drama ever can.

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