Irish actor Liam Neeson, who plays Hannibal in the movie-remake of the 80's hit show (which opens next week) admitted last night he was never a fan of the show. Speaking at the Hollywood premiere he said: 'I was never a fan of the series to be honest.'

Liam explained: 'I was in my 20's when it came out. Bradley Cooper, Rampage Jackson and those guys were 10 or 11 years of age and it was iconic for them. For me, even though it was very popular in Ireland, it wasn't my cup of tea.'

The Oscar-nominated actor admits there are only a few similarities between his Hannibal and the show's original.

'I had a salt and pepper wig as a homage to Mr George Peppard and chomped on a cigar every now and then, but that's where the resemblance ends,' he said.

After being saddled with a serious injury in the first week on set, Neeson also confessed he hadn't found it easy filming the movie.

'I was in agony for most of the shoot,' he said. But nevertheless he insisted he still loved making pulse-racing action flicks. 'It's good, it's like being a kid in a toyshop,' he laughed.

The word on this movie is that it's an action flick for boys. Expect lots of explosions.