ITV is hoping for 'Poldark'-like success by planning to reinvent the literary classic 'Tom Jones'.
Aidan Turner
The broadcaster is hoping to follow the same path of the BBC by transforming a saucy novel into a big TV hit.
A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column: "The makers want to revisit this romping story for old fans and a whole new generation. They achieved a similar feat with 'Poldark', which breathed new life into a 70s TV series.
"Like the BBC One show, they are looking to cast relatively unknown actors who could become big stars on the back of the show’s success. It’s been a long time coming - under discussion for several years - but filming finally starts next month."
Henry Fielding's 'Tom Jones' tells the story of a country boy with a weakness for women, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential English novels of all time.
The story previously inspired a 1963 film starring Albert Finney, as well as a BBC mini-series with Max Beesley.
It comes after Aidan Turner recently admitted to squirming about some of his sex scenes in 'Poldark'.
The 37-year-old actor - who played Ross Poldark in the hit show - admitted that some of his intimate scenes were awkward to shoot.
He said: "You want everyone to feel comfortable. If they’re not, sometimes they won’t speak and then things won’t get heard. Those scenes can be tricky."
Asked what makes the scenes "tricky", he replied: "It’s dependent on the scene, but some can be more aggressive or unwanted.
"Everyone has their own experiences with such things and in their own personal lives. You don’t know what someone is coming into the scene with.
"It’s not always the best approach to assume your own history is the same as everyone else’s."
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