Poldark rides again! Aidan Turner has successfully lobbied to have his Rivals character Declan O'Hara ride horses in the upcoming second series, much to the delight of fans.
Aidan's Campaign for Horse Riding
As dashing Ross Poldark, Aidan Turner spent many hours galloping along the Cornish coast for the hit BBC drama. So when he discovered there would be horse-riding scenes in series two of Rivals, including polo matches, the actor was dismayed to learn they didn't involve him. However, fans of Poldark, which ended in 2019, will be thrilled that their former hero will ride again after conducting his own campaign.
Aidan, 42, explained that he bonded with the late author Dame Jilly Cooper over their shared love of riding, which helped him succeed in his mission. "I was always desperate to get on a horse!" he laughed. "I ride horses – that's no secret – and I have a real fondness for horses, as did Jilly. I said to Dominic Treadwell-Collins, our show-runner: 'Do everything you can to get me on a horse. Declan's a horsey guy – he's an Irishman, he's a country guy, it would just make complete sense. And I can ride! So put me on one.'"
Dominic's Approval and Fan Reactions
Dominic clearly saw the merit in the suggestion, and it won't be long before fans see TV executive and presenter Declan doing his best Poldark impression, albeit with a bushy moustache this time. "Whether I'm on a polo pitch playing polo or not, I can't say," Aidan teased. "I might be adjacent to that in some way."
Poldark ran on BBC1 for five years from 2015, attracting a huge Sunday night audience of around 7 million loyal fans. The dramatic clifftop riding scenes, filmed at St Agnes Head, often showed Ross traveling between his home, Nampara, and Trenwith.
Trailer Reveals Riding Prowess
Eagle-eyed fans will know Aidan's mission was successful because there is a brief clip of him galloping in the Disney+ trailer for series two, complete with an unbuttoned shirt. This is not the only horseplay for Declan this series – the opening episode features a sexy shower scene with his wife Maud, played by Victoria Smurfit.
"That was actually Victoria's very first day of the shoot," Aidan revealed. "We'd already been filming maybe four or five weeks before her first day, so she was met with a shower scene upon arrival on a Monday morning. We had hot water so they could generate steam – I'm sure it was for an aesthetic purpose rather than our benefit! But it's fun. Victoria and I are very comfortable with each other."
Remembering Jilly Cooper
Aidan said that before her death, Jilly had been a regular visitor to the set and is "greatly missed." "She was just always so much fun, so proud of the show, and loved us all so much," he said. "Only about five weeks prior, we'd been at a garden party at her house and she was on flying form – making speeches, hosting us all brilliantly. She was such a force. But I'm just so glad, we all are, that she got to see all her characters come to life."
While he does not enjoy the bushy 1980s moustache, Aidan says he wouldn't dream of using a fake one. "No actor wants to stick on fake facial hair. It doesn't always look great, it's difficult to eat and difficult to smile because it just peels off," he said. "The facial furniture – you're not in charge of it. Somebody else owns that when you do a job like this."
