The return of Poldark (BBC One) is fast becoming an annual cause for early-summer celebration. It’s as sure a sign as a budding rose that something ridiculously romantic is about to unfold. And good fun, too. The sight of Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) striding bare-chested from the waves in the opening scene was as much a knowing wink to viewers as an invitation to leer. Any drama with the confidence to indulge in such headline-grabbing self-parody is well worth welcoming back.
The episode didn’t disappoint. Four series in, we’d reached the year 1796. Britain was at war with France and Pitt the Younger’s call for a general election had set hearts racing in Cornwall, offering the prospect of unseating...