Merlin has much the same premise as Smallville; they both show iconic characters in their youth. In Merlin series 1 and 2 we saw the introduction of key characters including Merlin (Colin Morgan) Prince Arthur (Bradley James), Uther Pendragon (Anthony Head), Gaius (Richard Wilson), the Dragon (John Hurt), Guinevere (Angel Coulby), Morgana (Katie McGrath), Lancelot (Santiago Cabrera) and many others. In series 3, Morgana has discovered that she is not just the ward of Uther, King of Camelot, but his daughter. Fed up with being lied to and unable to stomach the hypocrisy with which Uther treats those with magic (his wife was magical), she seeks out to claim her right to the throne and overturn the current rule over the kingdom.

Guest stars in this new series include Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley), Warwick Davis (Flitwick and Griphook) and Miriam Margolyes (Sprout) as well as Emilia Fox as Morgause and Tom Ellis as Senred.

The series begins with Morgana’s first bid for power, wherein she tries to convince the people of Camelot that Uther is losing his mind, in the hope that she can ascend the throne in his place. Her plans are thwarted and she retreats to the background, smirking throughout the series so as to remind us of her real feelings. The series also plays host to a smattering of comedy episodes, which see Gaius becoming possessed by a troll, swordfights and duels galore and the will-they-won’t-they romance between Prince Arthur and the future Queen of Camelot, Morgana’s maid, Guinevere. So while it is true to say that series 3 is darker than the previous two, the show still has its hallmark moments of camp fun and frivolity which we have all come to love. I won’t spoil the ending but fans are in for a real treat in the finale, with some truly legendary moments being brought to the screen, which frankly, gave me goosebumps and put tears in my eyes.

The DVD for the first volume of series 3 (one of two) also includes deleted scenes from the first six episodes, as well as out-takes (which frequently involve line-stumbling and giggling – mostly on the part of Anthony Head!) and audio commentaries by some key cast members (Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Richard Wilson and Angel Coulby).

Merlin series 3 volume 1 is out now to buy from Amazon.co.uk and can be purchased here.