Poldark finally returned for its fifth and final series over the weekend and it introduced a host of new characters, including Catherine 'Kitty' Despard.
As a former slave turned wife, Kitty brings a new dimension to the show and the time period, which is something that actress Kerri McLean thinks should have happened earlier.
"It's a shame it's taken until series five because Poldark isn't just about the middle and upper classes. It's about the lower classes in a coastal town where they would have had black people," she told the Radio Times magazine.
Related: Poldark cast on why it's time to end the series
"But I'm very grateful that Kitty's there now. There just aren't many period dramas that have a character like Kitty.
"But it is changing, and certainly from when I first started my career, it's getting better.
"There are more roles being written and these unheard voices are finding a way through. And that's great."
And while Poldark fans may be upset that the beloved show is coming to an end (and we won't see Aidan Turner chopping things topless in a field any more), Kerri teased that her character would make a good focus for a Poldark spin-off.
Related: Poldark cast reveal if they'd return in 10 years
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having a black performer in a role that's written for a white person, but for me, it's about writing black roles, finding the real voices of a period, those exciting stories and those exciting characters," Kerri added.
"That's why Catherine is so brilliant – she feels like an unheard voice. I've said to [screenwriter] Debbie [Horsfield] that she has more to say – the Kitty spin-off."
Poldark airs on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer and resident Welsh person at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016.
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