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Five years of Poldark

Who's excited for the very last season of Poldark airing on the BBC on Sunday?! Our Sales and Marketing Manager Katy has been an extra in all five seasons. She shares her top five favourite Poldark moments.

Katy as a Miner's Wife in Poldark Katy as a Miner's Wife in Poldark

Chatting to Captain Poldark himself on camera (about rocks)!

Life as an extra on Poldark Katy on screen with Captain Poldark at the mine
Aidan Turner taking a selfie with the Poldark extras Katy with Captain Poldark and her extra friends

As a Miner's Wife my tasks were usually related to rocks. Washing rocks, sieving rocks, sorting rocks! All in the hope of finding tin or copper. I really perfected my 'looking at rocks' concentration face over the years. Often you are asked to interact with the actors for certain shots and in this one Ross Poldark comes over to check out my rocks! In between takes we chatted about the horse he rides in the series Seamus.


Being an animal handler

Sunset on the set of Poldark Katy enjoying a lovely sunset on location in St Just with the Exmoor pony
The crew with the pony on Poldark Katy on screen leading the pony including Prudie, Zaccy and Drake

There were lots of gorgeous ponies and horses on set. The ones that weren't being ridden by the cast were used as working ponies in the mine. As I have experience with horses, I was asked to work with this gorgeous Exmoor pony. It mainly involved leading him around the mine or the beach and standing with him loading up his baskets (with fake foam rocks or items from the shipwreck!).


Being asked by Aidan Turner for a photo!

Katy-Austin Waters, a Miner's wife in all five series of Poldark Before the mud/grease treatment!
Aidan Turner with Katy, an extra in all five seasons of Poldark After the make-up treatment with Aidan Turner

The rules on set were that you couldn't ask the actors for photos but this one was taken by Aidan Turner himself on his phone. You can't say no to that! Shame my face is covered in mud and my hair is greasy (all part of the Miner's Wife look!).


The friends I made

Extras enjoying time between takes on Poldark There is a lot of time to chat between takes
Extras having lunch together on the set of Poldark Having lunch with the other extras on set

The days on set can often be very long and there is a lot of waiting around between takes so you do get to know your fellow Supporting Artists very well. I made some really good friends on Poldark and it was really lovely to reunite with them every year for the filming of the next series. It was always funny to see them out of costume as some people look so different you almost don't recognise them!


Running along the clifftop with Demelza

Katy in season five of Poldark Katy pictured seventh from the front (photo credit: Craig Spot Maldoon Hardie)

In the latest series, I was part of a scene which involved running along the coast path with Demelza and some of the other cast. I won't give away why we were running! It turns out that running isn't the easiest in a corset and a massive skirt. In between takes we saw seals and dolphins which was an added bonus.


Keep tuned to the Journal to here more of Katy's Poldark tales.

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