Ellise Chappell is Morwenna Carne

"I hadn’t read the Poldark books before I signed on to play Morwenna so I didn’t know anything about what happens to her - all I knew was that she was this open-hearted character with a zest for life who falls in love with Drake Carne (Harry Richardson), this lovely, gentle man from the wrong class. So to then discover that she goes on this intense, rocky journey was both amazing and challenging.

Morwenna goes through so much and I wanted to do her justice because these storylines are so important. What I will take away with me is just the experience of going through it, of doing the research and feeling so passionately about this role and caring so much about her, I didn’t think I could ever feel this deeply about a character. It was an emotional experience and that level of empathy is amazing and is something I will definitely keep with me."

Ellise discusses where we find Morwenna at the offset of the new series and what is in store for her.

"It was wonderful to come back into a different world this series, as in series three and four Morwenna had been in Warleggan world and then Whitworth world, so to be in Sawle with the Carnes and Poldarks this year was really different, but it felt right and where she was supposed to be.

When we see Morwenna at the start she has just got married to Drake, which is so joyous and lovely, but we pick up with them in their marriage trying to work through this wall between them which is Morwenna’s past trauma. This series is about Morwenna’s healing and how she deals with the recovery from this trauma."

Ellise touches on some of the heart-wrenching moments this series when Morwenna tries to reconnect with her son.

"Last series Morwenna was put in a position where she felt there was no other choice than to leave the situation she was in, and that meant leaving her son, John Conan. If she had stayed she would likely have ended up in an asylum so she had to reach that choice to leave, which was heartbreaking for her and we revisit that this series.

In terms of her journey and her healing, facing the loss she has felt - which is not just the loss of her son but also of aspects of her livelihood, personality, time and happiness - she has to revisit that and grieve for it. John Conan is very much a part of that, she needs to reconnect with him in order to experience that part of her healing and trauma recovery. It is heart-rending, as he doesn’t know she is his mother and that is a big part of her story, wrestling with her place in his life and deciding whether it is healthy for her and for her marriage to Drake."

One way in which Morwenna begins to heal this series is through finding her calling as a teacher.

"Morwenna helps start a school to teach the young children in the community to read so they can hopefully one day make something better of themselves. Up until this point Morwenna had spent so long being isolated with no real purpose, stuck in that life as a Whitworth. Now she is in a new environment where she is again an outsider, because she is not one of the villagers and she is seen as this lady who doesn’t belong there. So to be able to offer something, to use her skills and have a real purpose is an incredible thing for her. That is where she started; she began as a governess to Geoffrey Charles so to be able to use those skills to help people and to focus her attention on something good is wonderful."

Ellise reveals an incredibly special token she will be taking with her from her time on Poldark.

"When I first read the scripts in series three it said in the stage directions that 'Morwenna sits reading Cecilia' and I thought it was a lovely little detail that the book had been specified, and I had a really old version of that book on set that I was reading in a scene with Ossie. It is also the book I used in series four, after the hanging scene, where I come back and I am pretending to read. So I asked if I could take home a few of the old books Morwenna would read, and on one of my final days of shooting one of our wonderful props team handed me Cecilia and I opened it and it still had the pressed winter primroses that Drake sent to Morwenna in the front page, which was incredible and that meant so much to me. I love collecting vintage books and so to have this one is very special. I also have my shell bracelet of course."

Foreword by Debbie Horsfield

"When I first picked up the novel Ross Poldark in 2012 I had no idea that seven years later I’d have adapted seven books and completed five series (43 hours!) of Winston Graham’s extraordinary Poldark saga.

In 2015, with great trepidation, we awaited the response to series one - knowing that the 1970s adaptation had been massively popular, and praying that we’d done justice to these amazing stories, characters and Cornwall. Fortunately the casting - Aidan (Turner), Eleanor (Tomlinson), Jack (Farthing), Heida (Reed), Luke (Norris), Kyle (Soller) and Ruby (Bentall) - found favour with audiences, and to our great delight we were asked for more.

Although none of us ever dared to look more than one series ahead, we found ourselves approaching the end of series four (and book seven, The Angry Tide) with something of a dilemma. Our cast was optioned for five series - so what to do with an 11-year time jump and five more books? We knew we’d never be able to wrap up five books in a single series, but no-one wanted to call time just yet, so we looked at another option.

In book eight (The Stranger From The Sea), 11 years down the line, we meet Ross abroad on a special mission for the government. How did he go from restless, sometimes reckless, and somewhat disillusioned MP, who despaired of ever really 'making a difference' in the world, to Special Agent Poldark, sent by the Crown to report from Portugal on the Peninsula War against Napoleon?

Winston Graham had left plenty of hints in book eight about events which had happened in those intervening years, but he gives little away about how Ross achieved that transformation. So for me it was the starting point, the way to navigate through series five. Winston Graham’s son Andrew endorsed my wish to continue his father’s methodology: looking at the historical context (Napoleonic Wars, Act of Union, fast-approaching Abolition of Slavery) and using real events and real people to drive the narrative.

So what would be our events and who would be our new characters? It seemed to me that one thing we had never met so far was a character to whom Ross really looked up to, even to the extent of hero-worship. So when I was researching the early 1800s I came across Colonel Edward Despard. Reading about him I was so reminded of Ross himself that I felt sure Winston Graham knew of him (though Andrew Graham thinks not).

Ned Despard was a war hero who, like Ross believed in justice, compassion, equality and liberty for all. His wife Catherine was a former slave from Jamaica. And her rise to be his equal, her determination in the face of prejudice and scorn was uncannily reminiscent of Demelza’s own journey. As was the love and devotion both couples felt for each other. I wanted Ned to be part of Ross’ journey towards greater maturity, to be the salutary lesson, his 'there but for the grace of God'.

Tracing Despard and Catherine’s real life story, intertwining it with Ross and Demelza’s and seeing them deal with the consequences of that entanglement, forms the spine of series five and introduces on the way other real-life characters such as James Hadfield (would-be assassin of George III), William Wickham (founder of the British foreign secret service) and Joseph Merceron (the 'Godfather' of East London). Inextricably involved with Ross and Demelza’s journey are Ross’s nemesis George Warleggan, as well as friends and allies Dwight and Caroline Enys, Sam, Drake and Morwenna Carne.

It feels strange, and a little sad, to be approaching the transmission of series five knowing that we won’t be returning to Cornwall, but it’s been an extraordinary journey for all of us and we feel truly fortunate to have lived with these characters and stories for so long. What’s next for me? A contemporary series. Watch this space. Not a tricorn in sight. I’m excited for the next project - but I’ll miss that Cornish surf!"

Character Descriptions

Ross
Ross hoped to put London behind him to focus on peaceful, family life, but a plea from his old Army Colonel, Ned Despard, compels him to the capital to help. As Ross’ world becomes entangled with the Despards', new alliances and old enemies threaten his loved ones and the nation itself, testing our hero’s resolve like never before.

Demelza
As she grows into her role of Cornwall’s beloved defender, Demelza is still looking out for the less fortunate of her world. But when the Despards enter her life, Demelza finds there are repercussions to getting involved: Cornwall needs her own help now more than ever, and new forces threaten all she holds dear.

Drake
Although he has finally married and settled down with Morwenna, Drake yearns to mend the wounds of her past. As the journey to wedded bliss proves uncertain, Drake’s love is tested. How far is he truly willing to go?

Sam
Sam is rising in the community and is admired as a leader. When Tess Tregidden makes it her mission to cause trouble, Sam makes it his to convert her wayward soul. As he helps Demelza in the community, an unexpected romance blossoms for him too.

Morwenna
Though reconciled with Drake in marriage, Morwenna struggles with intimacy, in the wake of her life with her brutish former husband. With the loss of John Conan still haunting her, Morwenna finds her old life overlapping with her new, but as the community come to rely on her she grows into a new role with a hope she had not foreseen.

Geoffrey Charles
Following his mother’s death, Geoffrey takes his future into his own hands and follows in Ross’ footsteps by joining the military. His path takes him to the capital, where an unlikely attraction finds him in the dangerous waters of forbidden love... 

George
Haunted by the loss of Elizabeth, George looks for his missing spark as he forges onward. His journey sees him entering into an alliance with merchant Ralph Hanson, whose business in the mahogany trade and influence in London promises to expand the Warleggan empire around the world.

Dwight
The future holds great promise for Dwight, who has finally gained recognition in his field. However, the arrival of the Despards comes to drive an ever-growing wedge between him and Ross, testing Dwight’s loyalty to his closest friend and the strength of his bond with Caroline.

Caroline
Caroline finds a new distraction in championing the Despards, but old insecurities arise as she joins her friends against their common enemy and finds she must battle with her demons once again.

Prudie
Having settled into her role in the Poldark family, Prudie is trusted to run the home and family in their stead. With new enemies emerging, Prudie‘s role as Nampara’s guardian becomes more important than ever and she must employ all her cunning to help save their world from being upturned.

Ned
An ex-army colonel and Ross and Dwight’s’ ranking officer in American Revolutionary War, Ned was made the governor of British Honduras, where he took a former slave as his wife and tried to implement policies ahead of his time. But when he locked horns with corrupt forces in his posting, Ned was recalled to London and locked away in Coldbath Fields prison, without a fair hearing, leaving him hungry for liberty, vindication and revenge.

Kitty
A former slave, Kitty fell in love with her master, Edward 'Ned' Despard, whom she married. In her fight to exonerate her husband, Kitty finds allies in our heroes and her resilience gains their admiration, as she carves a determined path through the moral corruption that surrounds them.

Tess
A former employee of Trenwith, when Tess suddenly finds herself without the means for an honest life, she harbours revenge against the upper classes. Bitter in her quest for a better life, Tess becomes a persistent thorn in our heroes’ sides, and her machinations threaten the stability of their homes.

Cecily
The daughter of Ralph Hanson, Cecily is a staunch supporter of the abolitionist movement, putting her at odds with her family and peers. Educated and independent, Cecily is ahead of her time. In pursuit of her own brand of happiness Cecily falls in love with a man in league with her father’s rivals, testing family loyalties as she tries to make her future her own.

Ralph Hanson
Father of Cecily and a wealthy mahogany merchant, Ralph Hanson seeks a new backer to fund his enterprise abroad. To this end he enters an alliance with the Warleggans, and crosses swords with our heroes when his dealings come to impact upon their lives.

Joseph Merceron
Joseph is a powerful and enterprising magistrate with connections and influence throughout the social and political tiers of London.

Related Programme Information

• Episode one
• Episode two