Who's had the most successful post-Merlin career?

Photo credit: Shine - BBC
Photo credit: Shine - BBC

From Digital Spy

It's been eight long years since we last visited Camelot and caught up with the latest – extremely shippable – adventures of Merlin and Arthur.

Merlin ended in December 2012 after five seasons, but how have its main cast fared since then? For this list, we're focusing on the relative newcomers rather than legends such as Richard Wilson and Anthony Head, as we're kinda certain they were doing pretty well for themselves before Merlin came along.

13. Rupert Young (Sir Leon)

Photo credit: BBC - Twitter
Photo credit: BBC - Twitter

Since playing Sir Leon in Merlin, Rupert Young (not Will Young's twin brother, a different one) has stayed relatively quiet on the TV front. He was in an episode of The White Queen as Sir William Herbert, though he also appeared in the short-lived sexy Shakespeare drama Will as Sir Walter Raleigh and appeared in Maxine Peake dramedy The Bisexual. He has focused largely on theatre in the past four years, including a stint in High Society at London's Old Vic.

12. Michelle Ryan (Nimueh)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

She's still best known for playing Zoe Slater in EastEnders and for almost rebooting Bionic Woman in the US. But since a handful of episodes in Merlin, Michelle's been a mixed bag in the TV world.

She featured in an episode of Doctor Who in 2009, was in the dodgy Gordon Ramsay romcom Love's Kitchen, and did comedy horror Cockneys vs Zombies and a few episodes of Covert Affairs. She also had a stint in Cabaret with Will Young on stage in 2012.

11. Tomiwa Edun (Sir Elyan)

Photo credit: Getty Images - BBC
Photo credit: Getty Images - BBC

After Merlin wrapped, Tomiwa featured in a four-episode arc of Bates Motel in the US as Marcus Young, and he had a small part as a trooper in the Cinderella movie, and as Mbui in the Nicolas Cage action romp Dying of the Light. He appeared in episodes of Death in Paradise, Doctor Who and Elementary, and recently appeared as Sean in A Discovery of Witches.

Gamers may also know his voice as Alex Hunter in FIFA 17, 18 and 19.

10. Angel Coulby (Guinevere)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

After playing Arthur's on-off love for four years, Angel soon landed a role in the miniseries Dancing on the Edge alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, and has also voiced Kayo in Thunderbirds Are Go. She has also had recurring roles in The Tunnel, Innocent and Undercover.

9. Bradley James (Arthur)

Photo credit: A&E Television Networks - BBC
Photo credit: A&E Television Networks - BBC

Since playing everyone's favourite Arthur since Graham Chapman (sorry Clive Owen), Bradley has found some success across the pond. He featured in an episode of Homeland, and landed a recurring role in teen drama iZombie and the main part in the horror series Damien. After that he went on to Bounty Hunters and Medici: Masters Of Florence. You can see him animated (sort of) in Netflix's experimental WW2 drama series The Liberator.

8. Eoin Macken (Sir Gwaine)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

Irish star Eoin is another Merlin actor who has since found success in the US, and led the cast of NBC medical drama The Night Shift as Dr TC Callahan. He also appeared in the horror sequel Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (they're still making them), as well as George RR Martin's Nightflyers and horror The Hole in the Ground.

7. Santiago Cabrera (Lancelot)

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Chilean actor Santiago was already a familiar face thanks to Heroes before Merlin came calling and cast him as the dashing Sir Lancelot – and he has since had several high-profile roles.

He played Sal Price in Dexter, Diego in The Mindy Project, and most famously Aramis in the BBC's The Musketeers. He also featured in the mammoth blockbuster Transformers: The Last Knight, Star Trek: Picard, Big Little Lies and Salvation.

6. Katie McGrath (Morgana)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

She played the goodie-turned-baddie Morgana in Merlin, and Katie then landed an equally haunting role as Lucy Westenra in the Dracula TV series from 2013 to 2014.

You'll probably know her best as playing PA Zara in Jurassic World (the one who had the horrible, pointless death), and returned to her roots with a small role in Guy Ritchie's King Arthur. She's currently starring as Lena Luthor in Supergirl.

5. Alexander Vlahos (Mordred)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

After replacing Asa Butterfield as Mordred for the final few seasons, Alexander is now best known for playing Monsieur Philippe d'Orléans in the sexy period drama romp Versailles. He has also been a success in the theatre world, including in Kenneth Branagh's critically-acclaimed Macbeth.

4. Tom Hopper (Sir Percival)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

Tom has kept busy since playing the Round Table noble knight Percival. He was Billy Bones, one of the main characters in the Starz big budget TV series Black Sails alongside Toby Stephens. He also teamed up with fellow knight Eoin Macken for his directorial project Leopard in 2013, and you probably saw him as Samwell's more-favoured brother Dickon Tarly in Game Of Thrones.

He really made an impact, though, as the lovelorn, ape-bodied, nice-but-dim Luther in The Umbrella Academy, and has since been cast in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, SAS Red Notice and the upcoming Resident Evil reboot (told you they were still making them).

3. Tom Ellis (Cenred)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

Perhaps best known in the UK for playing Gary in Miranda, Tom has come a long way since his three episodes as Cenred in Merlin in 2010. Projects have included The Fades, Silent Witness, The Strain and Once Upon a Time (as the original Robin Hood).

He led the cast of the short-lived US drama Rush, and he currently heads up Fox's Netflix's Lucifer as the devil himself.

2. Colin Morgan (Merlin)

Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images
Photo credit: BBC - Getty Images

The main man may not have tasted huge success in the US like many of his co-stars yet, but Colin has chosen his projects very wisely. He played Tom Anderson in The Fall in 2014, Leo in Humans, and starred in BBC One's horror series The Living and the Dead. On the big screen, he appeared as Frank Shea in Tom Hardy's Krays thriller Legend, and as The Duke of Blackwood in The Huntsman: Winter's War. Most recently you'll have seen him in The Crown.

1. Asa Butterfield (Mordred)

Photo credit: BBC - 20th Century Fox
Photo credit: BBC - 20th Century Fox

He only appeared in three episodes as the original Mordred, but that same year he played Hugo in the critically-acclaimed film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Since then, he's been a seriously sought-after young actor in Hollywood, having major roles in the movies Ender's Game with Harrison Ford, Martin Scorsese's Hugo (as Hugo), and Tim Burton's fantasy extravaganza Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

He was also a close contender for Spider-Man before Tom Holland snagged it, and you can currently see him in Netflix's comedy Sex Education.


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