BBC One’s spy drama Spooks confirmed your stud status. What’s it like being slavered over by the nation’s women?

It’s great knowing that they are enjoying my work.

You are a bit of an action man and do many of your own stunts. Ever been hurt?

I’ve had the odd back injury and lots of knee injuries. In one sequence for this series I am hit by a car, dive over the bonnet and fall on to the pavement. I had to film that about 15 or 20 times and got various little injuries. I spend quite a bit of time at my osteopath.

Has it put you in touch with your spiritual side?

I have feared for my life filming some sequences, such as when I was lowered into the Thames Barrier in a tank with too little air.

Who did you pray to?

I just thought I was going to die. In another sequence I had to lie on a bed with 15 enormous snakes. I had my doubts then, too.

What else rattles your cage?

Nothing really. I think I’d be all right with anything as long as I knew I was safe.

Cool, calm and collected?

Yep, I’m no adrenalin junkie. I’m only temperamental on set when I’m naked because you feel so vulnerable. If something’s not going right, then I tend to lose my temper.

Do you feel the pressure to look buff?

If you want to be the leading man, you have to look good.

Embrace ageing?

Well, the older I get the better I look. But I don’t want to get really old.

Not tempted to Botox your buttocks?

If things started to get really bad, maybe I’d think about plastic surgery, but I’d never have a facelift.

But what about “never say never”?

Well, yes. Never say never, actually. If I looked absolutely terrible, maybe I’d have a facelift. Maybe I’ll need a nose job; I’ve got a bit of a bent nose, but then that’s what makes you who you are.

Are guys more plastic fantastic these days?

I reckon loads of guys do it. You only notice when it’s done badly. If I did it, nobody would ever know.

You need to be quite acrobatic to do your stunts. Bit of a gymnast at school?

No, but I was always quite good at sport and PE, swimming, rugby, cricket and stuff. These days I do lots of swimming, spend time on the rowing machine and I have a Power Plate. It’s a vibrating machine that helps you to get fit, but because it’s low impact it helps when I’m injured.

Joined the bendy brigade?

I haven’t, but Dervla [Kirwan, the Ballykissangel actress], my wife, is really into yoga. It seems like an awful lot of effort for the results. I prefer swimming.

You sometimes see an osteopath; are you a fan of the herbs too?

We use herbal remedies all the time. There’s a great herbal remedy shop called Dandelion near where we live in Clapham, South London. We use all those types of remedies on our two boys, aged 18 months and 3½, such as arnica for bruises. If that doesn’t work, then we go for the more hardcore stuff.

Do you also follow a diet of mung beans and seeds?

Dervla’s constantly eating those red berries – goji? I think they’re disgusting. To be honest, I think that my body tells me when I need certain things, so if I’m craving something, it’s for a reason.

You keep it real, then?

Yeah. I mean, if you feel like you look good, you probably do; if you feel like you look like sh**, you probably do. You’ll know if you’ve put on weight; you don’t need to jump on the scales.

What about the booze?

A beer after filming goes down a treat. I used to not drink the night before filming, but that went out the window during the last series of Spooks. I need a drink to get through it to be honest.

Ever dabble in the wacky baccy?

Erm, I don’t, no.

How else do you unwind?

I catch up on sleep when I can, but it’s difficult with two small children. I’ve got a little den at the bottom of the garden where I can hide away.

The sixth series of Spooks begins on BBC One, at 9pm, October 16; the fifth series of Spooks is out on DVD, £39.95, BBC

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