Getting massive ratings on a Sunday night for Channel Ten, the UK production of Merlin has continued to wow audiences around the world and is a success story that has reached every corner of the globe.

 Screening in over one hundred and eighty countries, the show has tapped into the realm of fantasy entertainment with a huge family appeal.

It’s twenty five year old star, Irish actor Colin Morgan is currently filming the next season of the show, but took time out to respond to City West via email where he gave us an insight into how he feels about the show and its enormous success.

A regular at Sci-Fi and Fantasy conventions, and with appearances in Doctor Who and even shows like The Catherine Tate Show, Morgan is in a great position for a long future as an actor.

Q: Were you aware of the Arthur legends before the show, and if so were you a fan?

A: I guess I knew as much about the Arthurian legends as anyone, through the Disney Sword in the Stone, and an awareness of Excalibur and Merlin as legend. But as I’ve been involved in the series, I’ve read up the classic tales of La Morte De Arthur and Idylls of the King, and basically anything with Merlin in the title, I’ve read. I think you can never inform yourself too much, no matter what you do, and when you are working in that kind of genre, you might as well as explore it and see what it’s like. When you get home at night and read about knights and castles, and the next day you’re in a castle with knights, it’s good to be a part of that world and read about it.

Q: Do you pinch yourself when you find yourself working with the likes of Richard Wilson, Miriam Margoyles and Warwick Davies? Working with them as a young actor must be a godsend....

A: I generally pinch myself every day on set but when we get such brilliant guest stars I have to pinch that bit harder!

Q: Was it distracting filming scenes at Pierrefords castle when tourists are wandering around? (The owners of the castle let the show get filmed, but have refused to close it off to the general public during production).

A: It’s a different environment and a big adjustment coming from the studio and not being used to people watching and photographing - the fans have been generally very respectful though and its great to have the support, it’s just a shame we can’t always stop and say ‘hey’ with the full-on schedule.

Q: How is this series different from the previous two, and did you feel any pressure going into production?

A: It’s set a year in the future so we automatically feel a shift, and the ambition for the show has grown in terms of the scale of each individual episode - so it feels richer and more varied in terms of themes and tones throughout.

Q: You said recently you would like to see Merlin go a big ‘darker’. In what way would you like to see Series 4 evolve?

A: When I say ‘darker’, its only because as our characters mature and grow towards the legends we know they’ll become, their outlook in the world becomes less naive and often the darkness that was there all along is now apparent.  I think it would be great to confront some of the ‘home-truths’ and less innocent themes in series four and since filming has begun on that it’s apparent that big shifts are happening and the legends that we know are taking shape. As they enter this more adult world they need to be prepared for whatever darkness may be ahead and having read the first six series four episodes, there’s plenty!