MILLIONS unknowingly saw the dialogue debut of a budding actor from the Swindon area when they tuned into Poldark on Sunday night.

Nathan Pegler from Winterbourne Bassett is used to being blurred out in the background on shows like Collateral and Keeping Faith but bagged his first-ever speaking part on one of the BBC’s biggest dramas.

Playing villainous mine owner Cary Warleggan's footman Cardy, he gets the chance to appear in several key scenes with the main cast throughout the season in a storyline about Cary’s nephew George slowly going mad.

Nathan said: “It was an absolutely fantastic experience to be there and such a thrill to watch it back on Sunday.

“I’ve seen myself on-screen before but not that extent, with my own close-up and everything, people have been messaging me about it ever since.

“I was in at the deep end, I didn’t realise when I got the role how significant it would be and that I would have dialogue.

“As a support artist, you’re normally one of 200 people in the background but this time it was just me and the main cast. I had never done scenes like that before.

“Pip Torrance played my boss so I got to chat to him a lot. He was really encouraging and coached me. Aidan Turner was a really nice guy and gave me a high-five when I told him this was my first speaking role.

“I’ve never had lines, not even in a school play, so I messed up a few times, got a dry mouth, stumbled over words, tried to hit my mark and not look at the camera.”

Nathan appeared briefly last season as a servant but returned to the series with a new costume, a new name, and much more to do after making a good impression in that role and in Channel 4 drama Traitors.

As a self-employed artist and illustrator, he had enough spare time to film scenes between early October and late December 2018.

He added: “It was mind-blowing seeing the cast on-set after already being a fan of the show.

“Even though the days were long, I liked just being there and seeing how a set works and how it all comes together, it’s very complicated.

“Not everyone gets to have that insight. I try to say yes to everything that comes along because you never know what it may lead to.

“There are lots of exciting scenes ahead, it’s a really good storyline and I’m so glad to be part of it.

“I’m very fortunate. Being on Poldark has opened the door to being invited onto the Comic Con circuit, so I’m looking forward to meeting other fans of the show at these events.

“I didn’t realise what a big deal it was going to be until after we finished filming, it’s quite bizarre.”

After appearing on TV screens across the nation over the next few weeks, Nathan will pop up in Midsomer Murders, Casualty - and a secretive new film next April.