Beatie Edney is Prudie Paynter

"Prudie is very close to Demelza this series; they have become more like friends and she becomes an important confidante of Demelza’s. There is a big secret that Prudie is privy to which happens at the beginning of the series and it overshadows Demelza and Ross’s relationship. She is very much in Demelza’s corner, even above Ross. The two of them really have a laugh and there are a few episodes where Ross is away so they are very much running things at Nampara. The women of Poldark come into their own in this series.

"Also Demelza’s brothers appear and Prudie has a hilarious relationship with them for completely different reasons. Sam Carne (Tom York) is very religious which obviously doesn’t go down too well with Prudie; you can imagine what she thinks about that. Drake (Harry Richardson) is very innocent and is a good looking boy so she really has fun with him and behaves like a dirty old lady."

Other than enjoying the new company of these fine young men, Beatie tells us what is in store this series for Prudie.

"Prudie is happily back at Nampara and Judd is away, working for trade. Whilst I miss Phil Davis, my partner in crime, Prudie claims life is much easier without him. However, I think she secretly misses him. They are co-dependent, like drunken toddlers.

"Prudie has become a little more domesticated this year; her cooking skills are slowly improving. I have more children to look after which is fabulous. In one of my first scenes I have one baby in my arms, another next to me, Garrick the dog by my feet and I’m trying to hang up the washing - so her hands are full! Prudie is pretty lazy so you can imagine how that all goes down with her.

"At the end of the series Prudie witnesses something that is absolutely pivotal to what has happened and will happen to Demelza and it is really shocking for her. So she is the linchpin to a big plot point."

Whilst on-screen Prudie is building her relationships, so too is Beatie with the all of the new cast members.

"The influx of new actors this year has completely transformed things; I love all of the new cast members. I have had the most fun shooting Poldark this year of any job I have ever done. I am completely in love with Demelza and the Carnes; we’re like a little family. It has really bonded us all together.

"We go and see movies together and then we have heated discussions about the movies we watch. We have a bunch of restaurants in Bristol that we go to all of the time. Award ceremonies are so much more fun when we are all there together. Something we did a lot was going climbing. Tom (York) is a proper climber and has done a lot of it so we all went to an indoor climbing wall which was so much fun."

Most of the female actors in Poldark are made up to look beautiful; Prudie however has a slightly more unkempt look, which Beatie enjoys.

"It is great being able to go in at six o’clock in the morning looking like death and come out looking even worse whereas normally the glamour of the profession means you can go in looking quite rough but you are made to look beautiful. This industry is very focused on the way you look and so when I was younger I did all of the parts where I had to look pretty so it is releasing for it to not matter what I look like for the first time. It is great for your self-confidence, when it is better the worse you look, as you don’t feel self-conscious.

"It fills me with delight to smile at men with my rotten teeth; it makes me laugh so much. I find it difficult to keep a straight face sometimes with Aidan. I do try and make a lot of the members of the cast laugh, especially Luke Norris who plays Dr Enys but I never ever succeed. In rehearsals I would cosy up to him and flash a smile but he doesn’t flinch, which is annoying. He is brilliant at keeping a straight face whereas Aidan can’t help but laugh all of the time."

One of the things that Beatie has enjoyed the most about being on set in Cornwall is being able to have her canine companion alongside her.

"I have a beautiful and very clever rescue dog, Billie, who has been on stage at the RSC. She has really bonded to me and so the producers allow me to take her to Cornwall, which is incredibly kind. It is great as I am not always shooting and we are in a field most of the time so there’s always somewhere wonderful I can walk her."

Beatie reveals what it is specifically about her character that she likes so much.

"I really like Prudie’s righteous disapproval of most things and I also enjoy playing a character so extraordinarily lazy. However, it is Prudie’s integrity that I like the best. She is always herself; you can’t dress her up as something else and I like that. There is a scene where everyone dresses up for a particular event and yet Prudie is still wearing her apron."

Beatie reveals a new element to Poldark that we will see this series.

"Something that I had to do this series, which I have never had to do so much of before is singing. The poor people sing more than ever this series. We have actually formed a band called Prudie And The Carnes which includes myself, Eleanor and her on screen brothers. Tom had to do so much singing at the read through and without any rehearsals it sounded amazing! He had everyone singing along.

"I didn’t realise we would be doing Poldark the musical so soon."

Character descriptions

Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner)
Ross attempts to deny his nature and isolate himself from the affairs of others but, with the stakes now higher than ever, he must find a compromise between what he wants and the needs of those who depend on him.

Demelza Poldark (Eleanor Tomlinson)
Demelza decides she will no longer be passive in her own life but, in learning to be her own master, she must determine what she truly wants for herself and how far she’s prepared to go for it…

George Warleggan (Jack Farthing)
No longer content to lord over Truro through finance alone, George finds new worlds and opportunities opening to him, but the obstacles he faces turn his journey of ambition into one of discovery on several fronts.

Elizabeth Warleggan (Heida Reed)
Contrary to her expectations, Elizabeth finds herself once again navigating a world of uncertainties and guarding a grave secret. She comes to learn, however, that she wields far more power than she’d previously realised…

Dwight Enys (Luke Norris)
A man of integrity and compassion, Dwight finds himself pushed to his limits by the war with France, battling not only the French but his own demons and the doubts they rouse; both abroad and at home.

Caroline Penvenen (Gabriella Wilde)
Rich, beautiful and clever, Caroline navigates society’s tiers masterfully but finds the complexities of married life, and love, can be altogether more challenging.

Tholly Tregirls (Sean Gilder)
Tholly was a friend of Ross father’s before he fled Cornwall and the law many years ago. His womanising and recklessness haven’t been forgotten, and his ability to stir the adventurer in Ross could spell trouble for all…

Morwenna Chynoweth (Ellise Chappell)
Morwenna is Elizabeth’s cousin, and finds herself in George’s employment to support her sisters and widowed mother. Morwenna soon discovers, however, that there are things more important in life than one’s sense of duty or place…

Sam Carne (Tom York)
Sam arrives in his sister Demelza’s world determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, spreading the Methodist word. But how can Sam profess to save strangers when his own brother courts temptation?

Drake Carne (Harry Richardson)
A good natured free-spirit, Drake has many of the qualities of his sister Demelza. He seeks his own place in the world and finds himself unwilling to settle for the limits life seeks to impose; especially concerning his romantic destiny…

Hugh Armitage (Josh Whitehouse)
As the nephew of Lord Falmouth, Hugh has grown up in the shadow of expectation – a fact he is keenly aware of. But Hugh is also a romantic and wilful. He would do as he chooses with his future, and being true to one’s heart rarely comes without a cost…

Osborne Whitworth (Christian Brassington)
Osborne is from an esteemed family and a reverend. Driven by lustful desires, the widower seeks a new wife and George sees there is a social advantage in helping him…

Emma Tregirls (Ciara Charteris)
Lusty and headstrong, Emma isn’t a follower of anyone. When the Carne brothers arrive with God in tow, Emma is therefore the first to poke fun at Sam’s piousness - but people have a strange way of getting under your skin and, as they say, opposites often attract…

Lord Falmouth (James Wilby)
A man of ancestral power, his will has dictated the people and politics of Truro for generations but Falmouth finds a revolution in thought occurring, one that threatens to upend the status quo…

Sir Francis Basset (John Hopkins)
Sir Francis is one of the wealthiest men in the county but where Basset chooses to ally himself will have significant consequences for the people of Truro…

Tom Harry (Turlough Convey)
Tom Harry is George’s right hand man and delights in carrying out his master’s dirty work. With George’s rising power, Tom Harry finds his own increased – and he’s only too happy to wield it.

Aunt Agatha (Caroline Blakiston)
Resilient and wily as ever, Agatha resists the Warleggan occupation of Trenwith with all the fervour she can muster, sparing what energy she has left to look out for the Poldarks both at home and at Nampara.

Prudie Paynter (Beatie Edney)
Prudie is Nampara’s loyal servant and an increasingly central part of the Poldark unit. For all her bluster, Prudie is as loyal as they come and not averse to voicing her opinion - whether it’s asked for or not!

Ray Penvenen (John Nettles)
Caroline's kindly, sweet-toothed Uncle Ray has raised her since she was orphaned. Ray is one of the county's wealthiest and most powerful gentlemen.

Cary Warleggan (Pip Torrens)
George’s uncle, Cary is shrewd and determined to win the respect of the ruling classes. However, his uncouth manner and lack of humanity works against him.

Captain Henshawe (John Hollingworth)
An old friend of Ross, Henshawe was Mine Captain of Wheal Leisure when Ross’ father was alive. He is well-respected in his field.

Harris Pascoe (Richard Hope)
Ross’ banker and long standing friend, Pascoe is a shrewd businessman. He frequently counsels Ross to be more cautious in his business dealings, and frequently fails.

Reverend Dr Halse (Robin Ellis)
Halse is a powerful Magistrate who has little sympathy for the poor. However, whereas he once held Ross in contempt, he begins to see the value in Ross, and we sense Halse is not as blinkered as we’d reason to believe.

Zacky Martin (Tristan Sturrock)
One of Ross’ oldest and loyalist friends, Zacky has worked in his mines for years and is well respected by both commoners and local gentry alike.

Related Media Centre Links

• Filming started for Poldark Series Three

Related Web Links

• Mammoth Screen