Tom Riley has been discussing his role as Robin Hood ahead of his appearance in tonight’s episode of Doctor Who.

The actor plays the infamous outlaw in Robot of Sherwood, which airs at 7:30pm on BBC One, and told Entertainment Weekly that it “was a lovely surprise” when he was offered the part without having to audition. “It was lovely to be thought of for something like this,” he explained. “When things come through directly, you don’t assume it’s going to be such a great part. So it was a treat. It means a lot.”

Meanwhile, the Da Vinci’s Demons star has said that his iconic character, who no one has ever been able to prove actually existed, is “filled with passion and heart”. “He finds pretty much anything funny,” he told DoctorWho.tv. “But the Doctor is convinced he’s fictional…”

And landing a dream role in Doctor Who means he’s got nothing left on his bucket list. “It’s been something I’ve desperately wanted to do,” he revealed to HitFix. “You hope that if you get a chance to do Doctor Who it will be something memorable and not someone who pops in and out of a scene. But I would’ve done that. I would’ve happily just turned up!”

Join us straight after the episode from 8:20pm to have your say in our discussion.