THE WALKING DEAD "David Morrissey Is Amazing"

We've gone telly crazy in the new issue of SFX, on sale Wednesday 22 August. With the new autumn TV season approaching, we've put together a 24-page bonus supplement previewing every US and UK series launching this side of Christmas (that's more than 20 shows!), everything from Doctor Who to Arrow , Misfits to Fringe.

To celebrate The Awesome TV Preview , for the next two weeks we're going to be running a story from a different show every day on sfx.co.uk – featuring extra content you won't be able to read in the magazine.

First up is The Walking Dead , where make-up guru and executive producer Greg Nicotero is singing the praises of his new Governor...

We're getting goosebumps about the upcoming third season of The Walking Dead and in no small part that's due to the casting of "Next Doctor" actor David Morrissey as The Governor. It's a much-feted role for those who dig the comics. So how is the newcomer getting on? We caught up with co-executive producer Greg Nicotero at San Diego Comic-Con in July to ask him about his Liverpudlian recruit. "He's amazing!" revealed Nicotero.

"We just keep hiring actors that aren't American!" he continued. Alongside Andrew "Rick" Lincoln and Lauren "Maggie" Cohan, Morrissey represents another British actor adopting a US persona for the Atlanta-set series. "But you'd never know," Nicotero claimed (although "there are still a few words that trip Andy up!" he went on to reveal).

With The Walking Dead now a bona fide phenomenon, having celebrity fans is no surprise – and neither is the fact that Nicotero's personal Rolodex is crammed with would-be guest stars from around the world. "It's funny because I'll send emails to people just saying 'hello' – and the response will be 'Hey, by the way if you need a zombie I'm happy to come down.' That's exciting. I've had cast members from Saturday Night Live who are like 'I want to be a zombie!' It's pretty wild."

The Walking Dead returns to FX in the UK and on AMC in the US in October. Read loads more about it – and the season's other big hitters – in SFX 226's Awesome TV Preview (on sale from Wednesday 22 August).

Go to Day 2 of the Awesome TV Preview: Merlin

Richard is a freelancer journalist and editor, and was once a physicist. Rich is the former editor of SFX Magazine, but has since gone freelance, writing for websites and publications including 12DOVE, SFX, Total Film, and more. He also co-hosts the podcast, Robby the Robot's Waiting, which is focused on sci-fi and fantasy.