Prudie Paynter

Prudie Paynter is the Poldark household's housekeeper, married to the shiftless Jud and every bit as unbothered by convention as he is. Gruff, gin-fond and utterly unshockable, she keeps Nampara running through sheer stubbornness, trading insults with her husband and sizing up her betters with a knowing, weathered eye.

Beatie Edney plays her as comedy that never curdles into caricature — Prudie's earthiness is armor built from a hard life, not just a punchline. She and Jud bicker like an old married joke, but there's real loyalty and shrewdness underneath, and Edney lets you see both without ever softening the character's rough edges.