Poldark season 2: Aidan Turner confirmed to keep his shirt on

Turner criticised the BBC's decision to publish a topless photo of him before the first series aired

The scything scene that sparked a thousand swoons (PA)

Poldark might have soared in popularity after Aidan Turner’s topless scything scene,but the lead actor will be keeping his shirt firmly on his back for series two.

Writer Debbie Horsfield has dampened all hopes for a repeat after reminding viewers that “autumn is very chilly in Cornwall”, where the BBC period drama is set so Ross Poldark “won’t be doing any in that”.

The first series was filmed during the “best summer in living memory” but shooting on the ten new episodes began last autumn and only recently wrapped.

Poldark, adapted from Winston Graham’s 12 novels, has proved a huge hit with viewers. But neither the cast nor producers expected the scything scene to win Top TV Moment of 2015 in Radio Times’ readers poll.

Attention on Turner began rapidly rising when the BBC published a promotional photo showing Poldark having his make-up applied while shirtless in the field.

“Who knew that one photograph would go global and there wouldn’t be a day in six months when it wasn’t in the paper?” Horsfield said at a Royal Television Society event in London. “Normally after a show has had its first episode you’re kind of begging the press to show a bit of interest. I don’t think any of us thought, ‘Wow, that’s going to be in every newspaper for the next year.’”

At the time, Turner criticised the BBC for releasing the topless photo, calling the decision “a bit strange”. “Apparently it was common law at the time that when you were scything you had to take your top off, so I did,” he told Newsbeat. “It’s not a stripper show.” Soon afterwards, Poldark launched to seven million viewers.

Poldark series two is scheduled to air this autumn, with further series widely expected to follow.