The star of Merlin promises that the new series will be darker than the first two, as the action picks up a year after the young wizard poisoned the King’s ward, Morgana…

There’s a real change of tone for the third series…
Yes, a big change. And not just from a story point of view, but from a character point of view, too.

Are Merlin’s skills as a Dragon Lord called upon again?
That’s something that I’m not sure if I can reveal — but by saying that, you know what the answer is (laughs)! But Merlin acquired that gift at the end of the second series. It’s a power, a gift and his father’s memory. It’s something he’ll want to live on inside him, and as long as he has that, it will come to the surface.

Is it difficult to learn the dialogue for the spells?
When we first started out, it was a bit daunting, but it’s great because it's genuine old English language. So whenever I get the scripts, I get the gobbledygook and then the meaning and then the phonetic pronounciation. So when we’re filming and I’m saying them, I know what they mean and what they’re being used for.

Will Merlin find love again, after an ill-fated romance with Freya in the previous series?
I don’t know, but I hope so. It seems as though any time that someone of importance is introduced to Merlin, they’re killed off. The episode in which he fell in love was called The Lady Of The Lake, and we know that she returns in the legends. So if she does turn up again that would be a nice reunion. I hope there’s more love for him. He deserves it.

Your co-star Bradley James, who plays Arthur, often has to take his top off in scenes. Are you jealous that you don’t get to do that?
They’ve never asked me to — I wonder why that is (laughs)? Would there be a reason for wandering about topless? Could it fill some sector of the fan base? Nah, I’m happy to stay in my Merlin clothes.

You have a very thick Northern Irish accent. Is it difficult not to slip back into it during filming?
I don’t intentionally do it, but there are a couple of Irish actors on the show this year. Whenever you’ve got scenes with them, you’re tempted to slip back into the old rhythms.

Are action sequences the most difficult to film?
Strangely, the most difficult scenes are the ones where you don’t have to do anything — where you’re just standing there, listening. They take forever, and after a while you feel as though you’re just standing at the back. I like to be busy all the time.

Have you learned any magic tricks for when you meet fans?
No, but I should do. There’s a guy on set called Tom, who is very good at magic and I should get a few tips from him. But then a few coin tricks would be very disappointing compared to what Merlin can do on screen.

Are you glad that you don’t have to wear chainmail like Bradley?
Hopefully I’ll never have to. It heats up in the sun and freezes in the cold. It’s really annoying. And it also leaves black/grey stains on your neck that are hard to get off. And Bradley’s lucky that what he wears isn’t the real thing. I’m happy with the scarf and jacket.

What about doing stunts?
There are a few more sword fights coming up, so that’s nice for me. But I get very little rehearsal time and everyone else gets loads.

Do you worry about getting typecast?
Not really. I think the show challenges you in ways that I think shows everybody in completely different lights. There’s hope for us! And in a break from filming, I made a film called Parked in which I’m playing a Dublin heroin addict!

Merlin is a huge hit in America. Do you see yourself going out there for work?
I don’t know. You hear about actors doing it and if something takes you there, it makes sense to go. It’s probably worth checking it out, and I don’t mean that to sound blasé, because it isn’t. I think it’s something every actor should try.

Last year your brother was in the show. Any plans to have any more relatives joining the cast?
My brother made an appearance in one of the episodes. He just happened to be on set and I just said, ‘Come on, get in the back of the scene.’ A lot of people have done that — the crew as well. Family have come out and it’s nice to have them come and be a part of it.

We hear there’s an action figure of Merlin?
They are coming out and I’d love one. I know mine is finished, but I haven’t seen it yet. Who’d have thought that I’d be playing with action figures as a kid and one day there would be one of me?

Did you ever have an action figure hero when you were a child?
I liked Mighty Max, which was a cartoon from about 10 years ago. It had a castle and you could get all these little worlds for it that you could keep in your pocket. I must have them all somewhere. I was also into Ghostbusters and had a lot of the figures of the baddies.

By Elaine Penn