Full name/age/job title:  

Alexander Vlahos, 24, actor.

What does your job involve?

I am an actor. A professional liar.  I basically pretend to be other people for a living, most notably in chainmail, horse riding and incarnating magical spells in BBC One’s Merlin where I play Mordred. In Privates [coming soon on BBC One] I've been pretending to be an army squaddie in 1960. All of this, of course, is just some quick-fire way I can become an astronaut. Or at least, pretend to be one...

Five things you couldn’t work without:

1.  My iPad

Technology is wonderful, isn't it? I do have a slightly obsessive attraction to my iPad. I bought it as I just started Merlin, and it's been a saviour – I spend a lot of time on trains, travelling to and from Cardiff, so I download TV programmes like Breaking Bad and Californication and the two hours seem to fly by. Also, the calendar app is a godsend in helping me to sort out my muddley-duddley life. But not only that, between takes I can plunge myself into its sleekness and avoid the faces of the talented cast around me – their sexiness intimidates me…

2. My friends & girlfriend

To counterbalance what can sometimes be quite a lonely business, my close friends and my girlfriend are the glue – they keep me sane. They offer relief to the mad world I encounter every day with talking dragons and endless sword fights. It's nice to come home on weekends and not talk about work and just have good, sociable times with the lot of them. My true saviours.

3. A good highlighter pen

Emphasis on "good", as you never want to start highlighting your lines on a script only for it to run out eight pages in. Pick a good colour, too. Green is a favourite of mine. Actually, you've reminded me: note to self – invest in one of them fancy long-lasting highlighters from one of them fancy shops.

4. Young Person’s Railcard

Hooray! I still am one of the lucky few under the catchment age for this helpful piece of plastic. With the amount of travelling on trains I've been doing, this little chestnut has, I’m sure, saved me a small fortune. I will mourn its expiry date.

5. Coffee

I love it. Oh, how I love it. It's imperative. A must. The day doesn't start on Merlin for me unless I get a good cup of coffee. I feel hopeless without one. The crew are starting to get very aware of me when I'm running on empty. Hang on, all this talk of coffee is making me thirsty...I'll be right back.

Alexander Vlahos is currently playing Mordred in Merlin on BBC One, and will soon be seen in Privates.

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