Aidan Turner has signed up to make his West End debut playing a terrorist in The Lieutenant Of Inishmore.

The Poldark star, 34, will play Mad Padraic, a fictional character deemed too violent to be a member of the IRA, in the production at London’s Noel Coward Theatre.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Turner said he missed the “buzz” of being on stage and joked of the new role: “It’s the furthest I can get from Ross Poldark that I can possibly imagine.”

Poldark
Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson in Poldark (Robert Viglasky/BBC)

He said the play “allows us to see how torture and terrorism can be quite easily normalised”.

Written by Martin McDonagh, the play is described as “a brilliant satire on terrorism” and observation “of violence in contemporary culture”.

It was announced by the Michael Grandage Company (MGC), which also revealed another production for 2018 – Red by John Logan.

Alfred Molina reprises his role as the  abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko in the production and is joined by Alfred Enoch from US TV series How To Get Away With Murder.

Both plays will have seats for £10 and will be directed by the company’s artistic director Michael Grandage.

He said: “This announcement continues our commitment to producing great plays in the West End with accessible pricing at the core of everything we do.

“I am looking forward to working with these exciting actors on two brilliant plays in two of the most beautiful playhouses in London.”

The Lieutenant Of Inishmore opens for previews at the Noel Coward Theatre on June 23 while Red opens for previews at the Wyndham’s Theatre on May 4.