A series of novel fused 4′-substituted 2,2′ : 6′,2′′-terpyridine ligands and their ruthenium(II) complexes were prepared. The unusual 4′-substituents comprised 2,3,4,5-pentaphenylbenzene and its tert-butyl derivative (1 and 2) and the products from oxidative cyclodehydrogenation, i.e. polyaromatic fragments consisting of ten or thirteen fused benzene rings (3 and 4). The syntheses of all the ligands are discussed in terms of the demands and limitations of the Scholl reaction. The optical properties of the ligands, along with the single-crystal X-ray structures of 1 and 2, are presented. The latter show that the pentaphenylbenzene and terpyridine appendages of 1 and 2 are perpendicular in the solid state. Despite the inclusion of the large organic chromophore the absorption and emission properties of the Ru(II) bis-terpy complexes (of ligands 1, 2 and 3) were found to be comparable to those of [Ru(terpy)₂]²⁺. They are non-emissive at room temperature but emit at 77 K with excited state lifetimes of 11–12 μs.