Hearts were all of a flutter last night when lucky Cornish fans of Poldark got to spend the evening with none other than Ross Poldark himself.

All was strictly above board, however, as leading man Aidan Turner was joined by his co-star Eleanor Tomlinson, who plays his on-screen wife Demelza, at the premiere of the second series.

Also there to meet and greet the hoards of fans at the White River Cinema in St Austell, where the programme is set, was Jack Farthing who plays George Warleggan.

They thrilled the crowds by posing for selfies on the red carpet and signing autographs.

The 260 lucky fans who were selected at random from a ticket draw, on the BBC Shows and Tours website, were then welcomed into the cinema for a special preview of the first episode of the new series.

Poldark returned to BBC One last night at 9pm, for the second series of the hugely popular Cornish saga adapted from Winston Graham's series of books of the same name.

The debut series peaked with 9.4 million viewers across TV and iPlayer, generating phenomenal media interest and devotion from viewers which culminated in it winning the Radio Times Audience Award at this year’s Baftas.