As the new series of Merlin gathers pace, actor Colin Morgan reveals that the wizard is under more pressure to protect King Arthur... How is Merlin coping with life in Camelot? "Well, Camelot's in a different state, Arthur's state, so Merlin's finding his place in that as well. Because the setting and ruling has matured, that's forced Merlin and Arthur to as well." What does this mean for Merlin and Arthur's friendship? "The banter is still very much there between Merlin and King Arthur, even though the situations they find themselves in are more serious than ever before." Indeed, in episode two, Merlin and Arthur are still trying to save the Knights of the Round Table from Morgana's clutches... "Yes, there is still plenty happening in the frozen north, and this drives us on to what I think sets a really high standard for this series. It gets progressively darker and this is the most sophisticated darkness, in terms of what we've done so far." There's still plenty of action too and, in this episode, Merlin and Arthur must try and escape from Mordred and Ragnor. Do you like stunt work? "When you're given a stunt to do, you are thinking more technically in terms of sequences. I'm normally running from things - no acting required just run!" How do you think your character has changed since last series? "The marked change now is that everything is on Merlin's shoulders. Merlin needs to think about how he advises Arthur now, it's not just about his magical powers; his advice and words come into play now as well. Merlin has to make decisions, while always aiming towards the dream of the future he has always strived for." Merlin continues on Saturday evenings on BBC1.
