All's fair in love and war for Daian Lewis as he romances a POW pal's girl.

Drama: Colditz, Sunday & Monday, ITV 1

by Susanna Galton, The People, March 2005

Most men would agree that stealing a mate's girlfriend is wrong. But when the poor bloke is a prisoner of war, it's beneath contempt. However, actor Damian Lewis is prepared to stand up for his character, who does exactly that in star-studded Second World War love story Colditz.

"I always try to defend my characters, whatever they do," laughs Damian, who stars as ruthless Nic McGrade. "I don't think of Nic as a bad person. He falls in love, which is noble. It's just that he then behaves appallingly to get the prize."

British soldier Nic breaks out of a POW camp during the Second World War, but fellow escapees Jack Rose and Tom Willis are recaptured and sent to the notoriously bleak Colditz castle.

Once back in London, Nic joins MI9, a secret service that aids escapes by smuggling tools in to the POWs. he tracks down Jack's girlfriend Lizzie (Sophia Myles) to tell her Jack is still alive -- and falls in love with her.

"Nic is a working-class Glaswegian with a huge chip on his shoulder," explains Damian, 34. "In Lizzie, he sees this vision of middle-class beauty. He is drawn to her like a bee to honey and does the dishonourable thing of pursuing her while Jack's locked up in Colditz."

When Nic learns that Jack has made it over the wire once again, he has to make a choice. Does he lose the love of his life or turn Jack in to the Germans and lie to Lizzie that Jack's dead?

There were rumours the actor, who once dated Sex And The City star Kristin Davis, also shared a real-life romance with co-star Sophia. ... "It's not true," laughs Damian, who also starred in wartime series Band Of Brothers. "But I enjoyed filming the sex scenes! I can be flirty, of course -- flirting's like oxygen. It's important that people can have a good flirt without it being dangerous."

Off screen, the actor is happy being single.

"I value the idea of marriage and kids," adds Damian, who lives in north London. "But I'm not quite ready for that -- yet."

Callout: "Nic's not a bad person. he falls in love ... that's noble."

Caption: Nic and Lizzie are drawn to each other in wartime London.

Caption: Jack shows Nic a snap of Lizzie.

Who's Who In Colditz

The People, March 2005

Jack Rose (Tom Hardy): The devoted but naive soldier is pretty Lizzie's first love.

Tom Willis (Laurence Fox): The third pal in the trio, who ends up locked away in Colditz.

Lizzie Carter (Sophia Myles): She is Jack's dream woman -- and his friend Nic's too!

Lt. Col. Fordham (James Fox): Nic's upper-class boss at hush-hush MI9.

Richard Warren (Timothy West): Designs MI9's gadgets -- like Q in the James Bond movies.

Rhett Barker (Jason Priestley): A Canadian pilot in Coldits. Is he totally trustworthy?