Bottle Yard Studios Host Poldark Cast

The third series of Poldark is to air on BBC One this Sunday evening, 11 June, after the drama was filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios – and across the city of Bristol – in 2016.

Production has been based at the studios since the first series was filmed in 2014. Made by Mammoth Screen, filming for the third series was coordinated in Cornwall and Bristol from a production base at the Studios between September 2016 and February 2017, building sets in Tank House 1 and Tank House 2 for key interiors including Ross and Demelza's home 'Nampara', and George Warleggan's house. Construction, prop workshops and an extensive costume department were also situated on site.

In November 2016, two major shoots took place at locations in Bristol, with the support of Bristol Film Office. The locations were Redcliffe Caves, where the Film Office arranged access, recces, unit base and additional parking; and on board the Kaskelot Ship on Bristol's Floating Harbour, where a stunt man was used in the water. In the latter instance, the film office worked with the harbour office to obtain special permissions, coordinating water tests, a safety boat and divers, assisting with parking, street lighting, camera positions and coordinating filming around at the same time as Christmas events taking place on the harbourside.

For series three, hero Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) returns and tries to rebuild his marriage to Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson). Also starring are Methodist brothers Sam and Drake Carne, played by Tom York and Harry Richardson, respectively, as well as Heida Reed as Elizabeth and Jack Farthing as George Warleggan.

Poldark series three is a nine-part series written and created for television by Debbie Horsfield and directed by Joss Agnew and Stephen Woolfenden. It is produced by Roopesh Parekh and Michael Ray, with Debbie Horsfield, Karen Thrussell, Tom Mullens and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen and Elizabeth Kilgarriff for the BBC as executive producers.

Michael Ray, Producer, Mammoth Screen, said: "The Bottle Yard Studios has given Poldark a great home, and it has been key to our success. Fiona and the team's support and the flexible space they offer has enabled us to expand the series each year. We couldn't ask for a better studio base."

Fiona Francombe, Site Director, The Bottle Yard Studios, added: "We've been welcoming Mammoth Screen and the Poldark crew on to site since the series began and we're exceptionally proud to be their studio home. With each new series our relationship becomes even stronger and the team's processes on site become more well-established. The buzz of activity – in their production offices, studio spaces, costume department, construction area and prop workshops – is always great to see and be part of."

Natalie Moore, Bristol Film Office, commented: "Poldark is a great production to work with, made by a team that knows Bristol's locations well. Filming for series three, particularly on board the Kaskelot with stunt doubles in the waters of Bristol harbour, was logistically complex at a busy time of year in the city centre, but the production team were a pleasure to work with and our preparations together meant that filming was smooth and uninterrupted. We have no doubt that the resulting scenes are going to look fantastically dramatic on screen."

Ahead of series three airing on BBC One this weekend, Sunday 11 June, a behind-the-scenes video of Poldark at The Bottle Yard Studios can be viewed below.

Poldark at The Bottle Yard Studios from The Bottle Yard Studios on Vimeo.

Image: Poldark series 3 cast on the set at The Bottle Yard Studios. Image courtesy of BBC.

www.thebottleyard.com

(JP)