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As filming on the fourth series of Merlin continues, Digital Spy has confirmed further guest cast members for the show’s autumn run.

Nathaniel Parker will be playing Arthur’s uncle Agravaine in multiple episodes throughout the year. According to an interview  promoting his current TV series Injustice, Parker will be a “dark and brooding” presence at court who is “definitely a force to be reckoned with.” In Arthurian mythology, Agravaine is Arthur’s nephew, but as with much of the series, the relationships have been altered to reflect the age of the leads.

Spooks’ Gemma Jones appears in the first episode as The Cailleach, who is the gatekeeper to the spirit world. Doctor Who fans will remember that a similarly named character appeared in the sinister Tom Baker story “The Stones of Blood.”

Whitechapel star Phil Davis will play the Gleeman, an old world Circus-master who appears in the third episode, hiding “a dark and sinister secret.”

Three extra episodes have now been ordered to bring this season up to the usual 13.