Tonight I have a special treat for all of you Gemma, Thomas Hardy and Tess fans out there: 22 new stills from the TV series!!! You’ll be able to have a glimpse of the opening scene with the spring parade (which was filmed on the clifftop at Dancing Ledge, near Swanage), the country girl with her family and with Alec (played by Hans Matheson).

The Scottish actor has also talked about the upcoming BBC series and our girl Gemma in an interview for today’s Glasgow Sunday Mail:

“I play the villain of the piece Alec D’Urberville, which is good because I generally play saints and do-gooders.

“I’ve gone to the dark side - and it’s much more fun.

“Playing characters who are wonderful and beautiful is hard because you don’t feel like that most of the time…well, I don’t.

“It’s like this whole heart-throb nonsense. It’s flattering but that’s not how I feel in the morning. It’s something that goes with the job.”

Working with Gemma, who starred in the remake of St Trinian’s and will soon be seen in ITV drama Lost In Austen and the new Bond movie, reminded Hans of working with Keira Knightley.

They starred together in ITV’s version of Dr Zhivago in 2002, just before she shot to international fame and fortune in Pirates Of The Caribbean.

He said: “Keira has grown since Zhivago. It’s no surprise because everyone thought, ‘Hang on, there is something about this girl.’

“She has this presence on the screen that is mesmerising. Gemma is a very bonnie girl and, like Keira, you do get a sense she is going places.

“She’s got so much fire in her - she is so much more than a Bond girl.”

Tess Of The D’Urbervilles will premiere on Sunday September 14th on BBC1.

GALLERY LINKS:
- Tess of the D’Urbevilles: Production Stills
- Tess of the D’Urbevilles: Book