BBC hit drama Poldark set to return for second series

The star or Poldark, Aidan Turner, will return for the second series. Credit: Ian West/PA Wire

Poldark, the BBC's latest hit period drama, is to receive a second series, it has been announced.

The show, which stars the brooding and frequently topless Aidan Turner as a Cornishman who returns home from the American War of Independence to find his love interest engaged and his father dead, has an average audience of over eight million.

BBC One controller Charlotte Moore confirmed that the 'phenomenon' Poldark 'has been commissioned for a second series'.

Based on Graham's novels, Poldark was originally made for TV in the 1970s, when 15 million people tuned in. The remake remains a resounding success, helping the BBC to its highest audience share in a decade.

Irish actor Turner, who stars as Ross Poldark, has become a particular fan favourite following scenes showing him swimming naked in the sea and wielding a scythe while topless.