Corsham High Street will be transformed into 18th century Cornwall, when it is used as a location for a remake of hit romantic drama Poldark.

The show, based on the novels of Winston Graham, first aired on BBC One in 1975 and followed the tale of Cornish mine owner Ross Poldark’s his return from the American War of Independence.

The remake will have Aidan Turner – star of BBC Three drama Being Human and dwarf Kili in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy – in the lead role.

The northern stretch of the High Street will shut to traffic from May 4 to 8, to allow filming, with the town hall also set to feature.

Corsham town clerk David Martin said the council was welcoming the shoot.

He said: “We are right behind it, as we know it can bring a great benefit to the town, as it will generate a lot of interest.

“Whilst there is obvious disruption to residents and businesses in the short term, the long-term benefits undoubtedly will be huge.

“It’s part of a series and apparently they’re looking at coming back again, so it could be a couple of times a year.”

Eleanor Tomlinson, who was Georgina Darcy in Death Comes to Pemberley, will play Poldark’s servant-turned-wife, Demelza, with Lark Rise to Candleford’s Ruby Bentall as his cousin Verity.

Show publicist Lisa Vanoli said Corsham was one of many locations chosen.

“We will be filming in Cornwall for a large portion of the summer and we have studios in Bristol”, she said.

“They find suitable locations within an easy driving distance of those studios and there are lots of great locations in the area.

“There are eight episodes in this series, which will air on BBC 1.

“Because it’s a series there is always the chance of doing more.”