After the shock drowning of Francis Poldark tonight, actor Kyle Soller reveals how sad he was to leave BBC1's hit period drama...
Fans of hit BBC1 series Poldark were left stunned on Sunday night when Francis Poldark died in a dramatic drowning accident while desperately searching for copper in his flooded mine.
But for Kyle Soller, who's played Francis Poldark since the first episode, what made his death even more tragic was that after years of being bitter and feeling jealous of his cousin Ross (Aidan Turner), he’d finally turned his life around.
“After his failed suicide attempt he felt he’d been given a new lease of life,” Kyle explained. “He’d reconciled with his family, started a new mine with Ross and had accepted his lot in life. He’d finally become the person that everyone wanted him to be. But then, of course, it’s too late!”
Kyle found filming his final dramatic scenes for Poldark weren’t easy, not least because he had to spend several takes neck-deep in murky water!
“The drowning scenes were filmed in a dirty water tank, but at least they kept the water warm!” joked Kyle. “It was great – kind of tough but kind of fun at the same time.”
Those final scenes were also tough to play since Kyle had become so close to all the stars of the show, even holidaying with some of them in Iceland!
But while saying goodbye to the Poldark cast wasn’t easy, neither was saying goodbye to Francis who he’d played for a series and a half.
“I’m sad to be leaving because the cast and crew have become like a family. But Francis has also been the most fantastic character to play and I’ve been able to explore every single range of emotion within him. His journey made a great story and the reaction to him and to the show has been amazing.
“I really noticed it when a guy in a white van stopped me in the middle of Piccadilly Circus. I thought I was about to get into a fight, but he just wanted to say how much he loved the show!”
However, as fans of Poldark know, Francis’s death could open up a whole new can of worms for Elizabeth (Heida Reed) and Ross, whose simmering passion has almost bubbled over on several occasions! Warleggan might have his eye on newly widowed Elizabeth too.
The drama certainly won’t be short of more twists and turns, as Kyle hinted: “Francis’s death was a necessary one – because where the story goes afterwards is pretty great!”
Poldark continues every Sunday at 9pm on BBC1
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Credit: BBC/Ellis Parrinder
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