Programme Information

Cedric – the cheeky-chappie con-man

Merlin

Saturday 19 September on BBC ONE
(Schedule addition 14 September)

• www.bbc.co.uk/merlin
• Programme copy

Mackenzie Crook, who guest-stars in the spell-binding opening episode of series two of Merlin, was looking forward to being a part of the show – but even more excited was his young son. "I was a big fan of the first series of Merlin. I watched it with my son, Jude. He has met everyone from Johnny Depp to Al Pacino to Steven Spielberg – but he has never been more star-struck than when he met Colin [Morgan, who plays Merlin]!"

Mackenzie succinctly describes his character, Cedric, as "a cheeky-chappie con-man who is possessed by the spirit of an evil warlock," adding that "playing baddies is the most fun".

There are a lot of big and bold special effects in the second series, not least in the first episode, in which a huge fight scene takes place involving Mackenzie’s character, something that required a lot of magic from the special effects team on the show. "The animators brought to life the gargoyles that were all around the castle, so I just had to imagine them moving."

The experience of filming Merlin was an enjoyable one for The Office and Pirates Of The Caribbean star, and Mackenzie looks back on his time on set location fondly. "It’s always exciting being on location and the chateaux that doubles as Camelot is breathtakingly beautiful. I was made to feel very welcome as a guest star on the show. The Merlin cast and crew are a tight-knit group of friends but are very generous to newcomers."

Mackenzie recounts some fun memories relating to one co-star in particular, Bradley James, who plays the young Prince Arthur in the show. "For two days, Bradley couldn’t open his mouth without putting his foot in it and saying something inappropriate: complimenting me on my performance in a film I had nothing to do with, bringing up spectacular failures in my career, misreading my son’s name as ‘Huds’. But after larking around on set together we became firm friends."

On the lasting appeal of the Arthurian legend Mackenzie says: "They are our equivalent of the Greek and Roman myths, timeless stories that tap into the soul of the British."

Asked what magical power he would choose if he could have one in the world, Merlin’s opening guest-star says: "To spread peace and happiness around the world..." before adding, "Not really. To blow things up with my eyes!"

Finally, with Cedric sliming his way into Camelot and looking set to cause havoc in the first episode, is this a character that he’d rather his children didn’t see? "My children have seen me as a skeletal pirate, a vampire and Gareth Keenan. Dad is far more scary in real life."