Gabriella Wilde is Caroline Enys

"It has been nice to play a strong woman who has so many layers to her and who is not necessarily what she initially appears. She seems to be this heiress with a lack of substance, but she keeps revealing more of herself and so we learn that that is not necessarily the case. Also it has been lovely as an actress to play a role for four years - before Caroline the longest time I had spent with a character is about four months. It is a very different experience to keep revisiting someone and take them through such a large chunk of their life in so much detail.

Caroline has grown so much since we first met her. Every series we see her come up against something new, and the multiple, different sides of her that has brought out have been interesting to explore. You do your work as an actor to understand the depths and layers of the role you are playing, but to actually have the opportunity to show these different sides to her has been great.

Whilst I have loved the heavier storylines and going through all of those emotions as Caroline, I also love when she is naughty and sharp. It is fun to play a character who is bright in that way. She has been a constant surprise."

Gabriella reveals what is in store for Caroline this series, revealing that she becomes rather jealous of a new addition to Cornwall, Kitty Despard (Kerri McLean), who seems to have caught the attention of Caroline’s husband, Dr. Dwight Enys (Luke Norris).

"At the start of the new series Caroline is in Cornwall, still recovering from the loss of her daughter Sarah, although quite internally. Dwight and her are trying to reconnect and rebuild their relationship, and whilst neither of them has fully recovered from the loss of their child, which for Caroline has manifested in insecurity, they are trying to find a way to be happy together once again.

The arrival of Kitty Despard throws up a lot of those insecurities for Caroline and shows the cracks in their relationship. What is difficult is that Caroline really does admire Kitty, she admires a strong woman but she also feels that Kitty is a lot of things that she isn’t, which is a very tough thing for her to wrap her head around and it is a trigger for a lot of different things that happen this series.

The most challenging thing was understanding and getting right Caroline’s respect and awe for Kitty but also the insecurity and jealousy she feels because of her. It was a case of her grappling with self-awareness, trying to understand why she is feeling this way and admitting it to herself or not, and how that plays out. It is a very real scenario as people are often jealous or insecure due to reasons that go slightly deeper, because something else is going on with them - so it was challenging trying to make sure that was played out correctly.

Kitty Despard is on a dangerous mission to vindicate her husband, Ned (Vincent Regan), who has been wrongfully imprisoned. Gabriella discusses why Caroline joins the fight for Ned’s freedom despite her complicated feelings.

"There are layers behind why Caroline joins the fight for Ned’s liberation: on one level she enjoys doing things that are surprising, that stir people up a little and that people wouldn’t necessarily expect from her because she enjoys that element of rebellion. She also does have very strong morals and ethics and she does not agree with the way the Despards are being treated. She is a powerful woman so she wants to use that to help them. On a very base level she also wants to be around Dwight and Kitty because she is insecure about it, and wants to be present within the action, to be involved in what is going on to make herself feel better."

Gabriella talks about what it was like to return for the final time to film Poldark and the friendships she has formed on this show.

"It was strange but it still doesn’t feel like it is over; I don’t think it will hit me until September when we don’t go back to filming. This year felt different. Even getting the scripts through was a different experience because we didn’t know what they were going to entail, as it is the first series not based on the books.

Poldark has such a lovely cast and crew and so going to work every day with this group of people I have become so fond of is what I will miss the most. Luke (Norris) is a really good friend of mine and we have been lucky to get on so well. Outside of filming we have been going through the same things in life at similar times, like having our children, and so we have grown very close. It has been a real joy to work alongside him for these past few years. We will definitely stay in touch - it has been a huge portion of our lives and there have been friendships made that will last past Poldark."

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