When hearing a description of new Netflix drama Cursed – a retelling of Arthurian myth with a younger Arthur, new twists on the legends and revamped versions of characters like Morgana and Guinevere – some UK viewers might find themselves reminded of a certain BBC series which had a similar premise, starring Colin Morgan as a put-upon boy wizard.

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Yes, of course we’re talking about Merlin. Like Cursed, Merlin is set "before" the events of the classic myths (at least at first), plays with our expectations and understanding of the centuries-old stories (i.e. bad characters begin as good people) and focuses on a magic-using hero (Katherine Langford’s Nimue) who faces persecution for their background.

And now, some Cursed cast members have admitted that Merlin was a bit of an influence on their performances, with some happily remembering their childhood days watching the series (and yes, that should make you feel old).

"So I watched Merlin growing up, the TV series, like the classic," Devon Terrell, who plays Arthur in Cursed, told RadioTimes.com. "That was something I grew up on, so I knew that rendition in my head."

And so, when it came to bringing a younger King Arthur to life, Terrell knew exactly where to draw inspiration from.

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"I'd say the Bradley James version of Arthur," Terrell told us. "I think the wonderful thing is, everyone has a different interpretation. People are going to love it and people are going to hate it. But it's open to opinion."

Meanwhile, Terrell’s co-star Daniel Sharman (who plays the villainous Weeping Monk in Cursed) also cited Merlin as a touchstone – partially just because he was such good friends with the former King Arthur himself.

"I had a friend who was in the BBC version of it – Bradley James - and I knew it mainly from that," Sharman said.

"The reason [this story] kind of does keep re-emerging or being reinterpreted is because there is something very resonant in [The King Arthur legend]. There is something that people really love about that story."

Of course, Cursed is quite a different take on the classic story - if nothing else, Gustav Skarsgård's Merlin is a rather different take than Colin Morgan's - but for any Merlin fans still bereft and wishing for a return to a land of myth and a time of magic, it sounds like they could do worse than check the new series out on Netflix.

If nothing else, we can probably assume it’s Bradley James-approved…

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Cursed is streaming on Netflix from Friday 17th July – check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide

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