Poldark is the original version of the BBC television series adaptation of the novels of the same title written by Winston Graham. The adaptation was first transmitted in the UK between 1975 and 1977. The production covered all seven novels (of the eventual twelve) that Graham had written up to this time.
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The romantic saga follows Ross Poldark as he loses his fiancée, the well-bred beauty, Elizabeth, to his cousin Francis. Ross ends up marrying his servant, Demelza Carne, but his passion for Elizabeth simmers on for years. Set in late 18th century Cornwall, the plot follows Poldark's attempts to make his derelict copper mines a success. Life is hard, smuggling is rife and Poldark finds himself taking the side of the underclass against the ruthless behaviour of his enemies, the greedy Warleggan clan including George Warleggan.
Although the emphasis is primarily on Poldark and Demelza, there are many other characters with their own stories. In the first series we encounter Dr Dwight Enys, a forward-thinking young man who prefers to serve poor local communities rather than the rich. Enys has a brief affair with a married actress, Keren Daniel, which results in her murder by her husband. By the end of the first series, Dwight has become involved with heiress Caroline Penvenen. In the second series, they marry following Poldark's rescue of Dwight from a French prison.
In the second series we get to see much of Geoffrey Charles Poldark, the son of Elizabeth and Francis Poldark. Francis drowns in a subterranean lake while investigating a putative new lode of copper in a mine in which he is invested with Ross. Elizabeth eventually marries Ross's great enemy George Warleggan. Geoffrey Charles resembles his father, and at times comes into conflict with his new stepfather George Warleggan, though Warleggan shows him certain kindnesses and pays for his education. Geoffrey Charles begins a friendship with Demelza's brother Drake Carne, whom he and his governess, Elizabeth's cousin Morwenna, meet in the woods on the Warleggan estate. Geoffrey Charles plays an instrumental role in the development of Drake and Morwenna's romance.
