Poldark has really made Aidan Turner a household name but the dashing actor, who only graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2004, had scored a few prominent roles prior to the BBC’s Poldark reboot and also had a major role in The Hobbit trilogy. Of course this Christmas saw his profile rise higher with a prominent role in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
Here we take a look at four of his must see “not Poldark” TV roles.
DESPERATE ROMANTICS
Every Poldark fan must immediately try and watch this 2009 BBC period drama, alongside Being Human this was the first time Aidan had been in a main role in a TV series. Desperate Romantics follows the lives of three young men, John Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt who set out to change the face of English art forever. In the mid 19th century the trio are determined to shake up the staid Victorian “art scene”, calling themselves the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, the men hope to challenge the mannerist movement (which followed on from the Raphaelite) which was then in vogue.
Aidan plays Rosetti in this fabulous, and raunchy six part BBC drama with a cast that also includes Rafe Spall, Tom Hollander and Amy Manson.
BEING HUMAN
Being Human arrived on air at almost exactly the same time as Desperate Romantics and very quickly gained a cult following. The series followed three twenty somethings who are desperate to find their place in the world despite the fact that George is a werewolf, Mitchell is a vampire and Annie is a ghost.
Aidan plays Mitchell in the first three series (there were five in total), be warned though this show has plenty of “hands over your eyes” moments.
HATTIE
One you might not be too familiar with is single drama Hattie made for BBC-4 in 2011 with Ruth Jones playing iconic comedy actress Hattie Jacques. A short haired Aidan plays her much younger chauffeur John Scofield with whom she has a tempestuous love affair.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
Last but not least is Aidan’s most recent role in the BBC’s three part period mystery And Then There Were None. Set in the 1930’s Aidan plays the very shady Irishman Philip Lombard.
He said of the role “Coming from someone like Ross Poldark to Philip Lombard is like going to the other side of the spectrum with characters really. So it was a nice change to play somebody who doesn’t really care about anyone but himself.”
One other series worth seeking out is Irish soapy drama series The Clinic, Aidan played a character called Ruairí McGowan for 18 episodes between 2008-2009.
