Having previously had success on both the stage and big screen, Robert Emms is about to become a household name as a fixture on primetime TV.

The young actor began attracting the attention of critics in 2007 - three years after graduating from the prestigious acting academy LAMDA - when he was nominated as Best Newcomer in the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards for his performance in The Glee Club. It wasn't long before Hollywood took note, with Steven Spielberg casting him in a minor role in his film adaptation of War Horse having been impressed with his performance in the London stage version. Soon after he was handed another part in a big budget production, this time acting next to Julia Roberts in Mirror, Mirror - director Tarsem Singh's reimagining of the Snow White tale. Now set to become a familiar face across the country, Emms features in new BBC show Atlantis, a Saturday night adventure series about the mythical lost city. With performances from Game of Throne's Mark Addy as well as TV stars Juliet Stevenson and Sarah Parish, its hoped the programme will rival the success of Merlin when it begins in October 2013.