Merlin star Colin Morgan, who won the National Television Award for Best Actor, wants to express his gratitude to the fans who voted for him.

For its fifth and final series, Merlin was nominated for two NTA awards, and fans had been campaigning hard to secure the show this final bit of recognition for the hard work the cast and crew put into the fantasy drama.

Although the series did not manage to procure enough votes to beat out the Downton Abbey powerhouse for the Best Drama award, Merlin‘s lead actor Colin Morgan won the award for Best Actor, beating Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and Daniel Mays (Mrs Biggs).

In his acceptance speech Morgan made sure to thank the viewers for their support of the series and for voting for him. Additionally, we have received the following statement from the actor in which he reiterates his gratitude. Morgan says:

This award is a true testament to the amazing support of the public, it will always be a reminder for me of the love people have for the show, the great times I had, the hard work of everyone involved and how lucky I am to be doing what I’m doing. I want to send my huge appreciation to everyone who voted for me and for giving me this tremendous honour.

Colin Morgan is currently in Ireland filming for the new BBC drama Quirke, which will air later this year. Quirke is based on the novels by John Banville and stars Gabriel Byrne; Morgan plays the character Jimmy Minor, and will appear in the third and final episode. You can see the first official still of his character and read a more detailed description of the role right here on Hypable.