MOVING ON FROM HIS TIME IN THE TARDIS MATT SMITH ON EMBRACING HIS VILLAIN ERA AS THE POISONOUS PRINCE IN 'HOUSE OF THE DRAGON'

Known as one of the most likeable Doctors in Doctor Who, you can’t blame Matt Smith for wanting occasionally to embrace his inner evil.

- GILL PRINGLE

Which explains why the actor, back as Prince Daemon Targaryen in the second series of hit show House of the Dragon, can’t help but have a sneaking admiration for the morally bankrupt royal, who is married to his own niece.

“He’s an absolute madman,” says Matt, 41, laughing.

“What I quite l ike about Daemon is that he flies by the beat of his own drum and that his moral compass is his own. I admire that about him. I admire his conviction in his mistakes and his actions. For better or worse, he does them anyway.

“I like feeling that spirit of chaos and bravado – even if it’s like walking on a piece of glass. I like the tightrope he’s defined for himself. He just behaves like a crazy person, which is great.”

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Based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen.