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Multi-talented BAFTA-winner Alistair McGowan is an actor, impressionist, stand-up comedian and writer. Star of The Big Impression, Mayo, Preston Front and Spitting Image, Alistair flexes his acting muscles in Leonardo as the scheming Piero.

Tell us a bit about your character Piero.

Piero is, basically, "the baddy". He is from the hugely wealthy Medici family and longs to take control of the City from the Duke. He has a long-term aim to replace him which he refines very cleverly through the series.

His first step, however, is to capture Leonardo's notebook and see if his much-talked-about designs can be used for Piero's own dark purposes. The fact that his son, Lorenzo, is a friend of Leonardo's adds a wonderful extra ingredient to his plotting – sometimes it's a help and sometimes a huge hindrance!

Did you base him on anyone in particular? He was very well written so I really just played what was there and used my own deep dark thoughts to flesh him out. I did base the voice on a mixture of people but I'm not telling you who!

Do you enjoy playing the bad guy? Is it more fun?

It is fun. Piero isn't just mean and threatening though; he also has a lot of cleverness and wit. We also see his fatherly side with his son, Lorenzo. So, he was a really enjoyably well-rounded character to play. I recently played the more comedically evil Lord of Darkness in a wonderful series for Radio 4 called Elvenquest. There were more than a few similarities!

What attracted you to the show and the part?

I thought it was such a good idea. It shows a different side of Leonardo da Vinci – how wonderfully inventive he was. I hope his fertile imagination will inspire the viewers to create and dream and "think out of the box". He really was an extraordinary man.

I liked also the way that the scripts were modernised to appeal to a wider audience and not just be a retelling of his life. The production team had a lot of fun creating the world of Leonardo and we actors had a lot of fun being in that world.

Why do you think children will enjoy this show?

Not only is it exciting and informative, it is witty, well-performed and has an irritatingly handsome young main cast!

Is this your first foray into the world of children's television?

Pretty much. I did once appear in Roger And The Rottentrolls and made my first ever TV appearances in Children's Ward in 1989 and a school's programme called Thinkabout Science – they have both already been featured on Before They Were Famous so don't get excited!

What was it like filming the series in South Africa? Were there any stand-out moments?

For me, it was very difficult not getting drawn into the accent as it was all around us. I did get impossibly hot in my costumes as they are really, really thick and heavy and the heat, especially in the studio under the lights and the metal hotplate of a roof was utterly stifling. I think it was recorded as over 45 degrees one day. I could barely remember my lines in my three layers of robes.

Do you think you would have enjoyed living in Renaissance Italy?

Yes! But I would have to have improved my Italian. I only have a few words and language is power! (I sound like Piero again!)

Did you learn anything about Leonardo da Vinci during the filming of the series?

Yes. I really knew nothing about his notebook. My knowledge of art history is very poor – I knew he painted the Mona Lisa and I think he gave some sort of code to Tom Hanks once and that was about it. I would now like to find out more about him, hopefully, the series will have that effect on viewers too!

What other projects are in the pipeline for you after Leonardo?

Hopefully more Leonardo! I'll also still be doing bits of stand-up comedy, I may be involved with Radio 5 Live at Wimbledon this year, there's possibly more stage work – singing in Gilbert and Sullivan and a Noel Coward show which I devised and hope to tour later in the year. Quite a variety!