The buzz is starting to build around Merlin, BBC One's big new Saturday night drama starting next month.

The series - a creative retelling of the well-travelled Arthurian legend - stars Richard Wilson (as Merlin's mentor Gaius), Anthony Head (as the tyrannical King Uther) and Michelle Ryan (as wicked sorceress Nimueh). Remarkably the show has already been picked up by US network NBC, which plans to air it as part of its Sunday night lineup from January.

I spent a couple days on set earlier this week and can confirm that the hype is very well-placed. There'll be much more Merlin magic from me in the coming weeks, including the first interview with the boy Merlin himself (young actor Colin Morgan, recently seen in the Doctor Who episode 'Midnight'), but for now whet your appetite with this epic trailer:



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