Crook: 'My son told me to do 'Merlin'

Mackenzie Crook has revealed that his son told him to accept a part in the television series Merlin.

The Mirror reports that 6-year-old Jude is a big fan of the show and was "star-struck" when he met Colin Morgan, who plays the role of Merlin.

"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," Crook joked.

The Office star, who will play an evil warlock on the show, said that "playing baddies is the most fun".

"My children have seen me as a skeletal pirate, a vampire and Gareth Keenan," he explained. "Dad is far more scary in real life."

Crook also revealed that he enjoys the Arthurian legends which appear in Merlin.

"They are our equivalent of the Greek and Roman myths," he said. "Timeless stories that tap into the soul of the British."