TV preview: The Last Kingdom

Alexander Dreymon as the warrior Uhtred in the new series of The Last Kingdom, set in Saxon Britain. PIC: Steffan Hill

The sparkly-eyed actor’s lengthy tresses are in aid of reprising his hero role of Uhtred, in the second series of BBC Two’s swords-and-Saxons drama The Last Kingdom.

“Last season I was working with extensions,” says the 34-year-old. “It takes so much time, it’s like an alien body constantly sitting on your shoulders. This year it’s more manageable.”

Promising to be bigger and better than the first, the second run – again based on Bernard Cornwell’s novels – will return to the ninth century, as fearless warrior Uhtred continues his fight for his native land of Northumbria.

Having given his sword to King Alfred, he embarks on his voyage north to reclaim his fate; to avenge Earl Ragnar’s death and recapture his ancestral lands of Bebbanburg. With the scale of the show magnified, Dreymon is only too happy to embrace new characters, a bigger cast and more locations.

“The sets are incredibly well made and very accurate, or we’re on location in a forest or on horseback, so it’s quite easy to suspend disbelief and forget about the cameras.”

The Last Kingdom, BBC2, Thursday, 9pm