Talus is an intriguing character with a mysterious past. Other than that, I don’t see a lot of similarities between Luke and Talus.’

He was definitely influenced by that sense of purpose and valour and doing the right thing for a great cause, there’s no question about it. It’s all these genres mixed up so that everything old is new again. When I first read the script for Star Wars, I thought, oh my gosh, this is like a Western, a WWII movie, it’s swashbuckling, it’s like pirate movies. Obviously, George Lucas had so many influences, and certainly knights were something he modelled his characters after. ‘That didn’t even occur to me until I said yes! Then everyone on the internet was saying, oh, he’s doing a knight again. The superficial similarities between Talus and Luke Skywalker drew some comment online. After about 20 minutes, I thought, “Oh no – I have to do this.” I don’t get offered things like this, historical dramas with a British cast!’ This was just so gritty and harrowing, really, to think of a time when the mortality rate was so high. I’d seen Camelot and the sort of movies you see on Turner Classic Movies. It just transports you into another time and another place. I started watching this thing, and I was riveted. For me, at my age, a day spent in your pyjamas is a win, puttering around the garden with your dogs and telling kids to get off your lawn. My kids always say, “You’ve never heard of that?!”. I’d never heard of this show, but don’t go by me. Hamill describes his introduction to the series with the endearing candour that’s made him such a popular presence on Twitter. He took a break from filming Knightfall in the beautiful city of Prague last autumn to explain why he’s traded in his lightsaber for the sword of a medieval knight. Mark Hamill, an actor with an impressive array of film, TV and stage credits, remains best known for embodying the legendary Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy and its sequels. This grizzled warrior will be brought to life by a star you just might recognise, who’s joining the show straight from a certain galaxy far, far away. It also introduces us to a new character: Templar master, Talus. Season two promises even more intrigue, political wrangling, and clandestine passions.

Its first run introduced us to the legendary order of warrior monks, led by the fictional Landry du Lauzon (Tom Cullen), as they grapple with the scheming French king, Philip IV (Ed Stoppard), whose beady eye is trained on the vast wealth and estates they’ve amassed.

Knightfall, the History Channel’s vivid, visceral dramatised account of the Knights Templar’s fight for survival in fourteenth-century France, will return to UK screens in summer 2019.

Knight saga sword and fire