I did quite a lot of fencing when I was a kid, I was a swimmer, and I played a lot of basketball. I was a fencer for Great Britain, but I only did that because I watched Robin Hood, Star Wars, Highlander and The Three Musketeers, and I wanted to emulate Richard Harris and the great British actors that I grew up watching.

I come from the theater and you normally have four or five weeks to prepare. For me, the fun of the job is to pull yourself into a subject that you know nothing about.

I've been trained by a two-time world champion kickboxer, who's local to where I come from, and who is really just there to keep me fit and healthy while I'm shooting.

I want to know everything. I'm probably a bit of a pest for the producers because I ask a lot of questions.

There's a great freedom you get when you're making TV that you don't get when you're doing film.

A lot of characters now on TV have moved into being anti-heroes, but I wanted to be the hero.

I did quite a lot of fencing when I was a kid, I was a swimmer, and I played a lot of basketball. I was a fencer for Great Britain, but I only did that because I watched Robin Hood, Star Wars, Highlander and The Three Musketeers, and I wanted to emulate Richard Harris and the great British actors that I grew up watching.