Ralph Hanson

Ralph Hanson arrives in Poldark's world of Cornish mines and drawing rooms as a smooth, prosperous businessman with an eye for advantageous connections. Confident and well-mannered, he moves easily among the gentry, always weighing an opportunity, and quickly positions himself as someone useful to have on side.

Peter Sullivan gives Hanson an easy, unhurried charm that makes his self-interest go down smoothly, so you're never quite sure whether to trust him. The writing uses him as a mirror for the show's more ruthless operators, and Sullivan plays the ambiguity with a smile that never quite reaches full warmth.