BT | Julian McMahon

Click play above to watch our interview with Julian McMahon talking about his favourite TV shows.

Julian McMahon earned his acting stripes in Aussie soap Home and Away before finding fame in US dramas including Nip/Tuck and Charmed - the former earning him a Golden Globe nomination.

He also starred as villain Dr Doom in 2005 movie Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel - telling us exclusively that playing the maniac scientist feels like playing “the ultimate villain”.

Since then, the 50-year-old actor has continued the Marvel theme with Runaways, in which he’s reprising his role of Jonah for its upcoming second series on Syfy.

Season 1 of Marvel’s Runaways is available to binge-watch on the BT Player online now, ahead of season 2 which returns to Syfy (BT channel 319/375 HD) on Wednesday, January 2 at 9pm.

To celebrate the show’s return, we spoke to the Aussie actor about his favourite TV shows - from his childhood memories in front of the telly to his most recent binge-watch.

Julian, what’s the first TV show you remember watching, or your earliest TV memory?

Well I used to watch cartoons a lot, anything from Marvel cartoons to anything, pretty much. I grew up in Sydney, Australia, so a lot of our TV content was English.

There was I show I remember we used to watch called Upstairs, Downstairs, that was a classic, and what’s that show about the department store... Are You Being Served? (below). Oh my God, do you know that show?

Are You Being Served? was a classic, oh my goodness. M*A*S*H was another one that I used to love.

Which TV show did you used to watch when you came home from school?

I wasn’t allowed to watch television unless it was with my parents, so I used to sneak the TV on early in the morning to catch cartoons, like 5 or 6 in the morning, before they got up.

I didn’t have afternoons, I was usually playing sports, so I didn’t come home and watch television, and then when we watched TV it had to be with our parents, so it was always things like grown-up stuff.

[Read more: The O.C. meets The Avengers – Why Marvel’s Runaways should be your next box set binge]

Which TV show reminds you of your parents? What did you used to watch together?

Probably M*A*S*H. I remember The Sound of Music, because my parents were pretty busy parents, but once a year we used to sit down and watch The Sound of Music together, so even though it wasn’t TV, it’s a film, but we watched it on a TV!

For some reason, it was played around Christmas every year on one of the networks there and that’s a time I remember us all being there watching.

What’s the last TV show you binge-watched?

Bodyguard. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was working at the time, and I’d go to work, and I’d be really pissed off that I had to go to work because I wanted to finish watching Bodyguard, so I’d come home, and then I’d watch it in the evening, but I could only watch two episodes because I had to go to bed as I had work the next day, so yeah that was the last show I binge-watched.

Then before that, it was The Marvelous Mrs Maisel... I haven’t seen the second series yet, so don’t tell me anything, I don’t want you to give anything away, but the first season was just…  I think it’s one of the most spectacular TV series ever made.

What’s your desert island box set, something you could watch over and over?

Probably Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire… I’d have to whack something comedic in there too.

I can always watch an episode of Seinfeld and have a really good time so I’d probably like to include that so I can have a really good laugh. Particularly if I’m on my own.

What’s on your TV watchlist?

Season 2 of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (watch the trailer below). That’s on my watchlist because I’m really excited about that coming out. Then the final season of Game of Thrones. It keeps getting pushed and I’m like “Will you come out with this show already?” so that’s on my list.

I don’t know if they’re going to do another season of Bodyguard, but that would be wonderful because it’s such a great show. I haven’t seen [Killing Eve] actually, someone was talking to me about that the other day, so that’s the second time I have to look at it.

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