JESSICA RAINE

For any role, I pretty much always go to the script, first and foremost.

I certainly love getting to know the babies if I'm going to be working with them.

You know that book 'Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking', by Susan Cain? That's like my manifesto. The older I get, the more I think I could be a hermit.

I'd love to do films, but I'd feel bad in my gut if I did anything just for the money. I want to wait for something I'm really passionate about, even if I don't work for a year.

I've been thinking recently about all the qualities you need in order to be an actor. First and foremost, you've got to have a thick skin and give out an 'I don't give a monkey's what you think' kind of vibe, while at the same time really caring what everyone thinks. You've got to be tough and sensitive at the same time.

It was a very idyllic childhood, surrounded by utterly beautiful landscapes that I got very, very bored of when I hit my teens. But being on your own a lot and being bored is good for your imagination. It makes it stretch.

I have a gorgeous coat that I found at a vintage fair - it's just so elegant. Unfortunately, it has a massive hole underneath the arm, as I think I may have worn it to death!

You have that moment just before you go on - I've had it in every play - where you just kind of want to run away. There's a whole audience, and they are waiting outside, and you're like, 'Why am I doing this again? Why? Why?'

My principal at RADA once told me, 'You'll know you're a professional when you don't feel like doing it but you have to do it.'

I would like to explore comedy, I want to do more theatre, and I definitely want a future in film.

I hadn't realised what an institution 'Doctor Who' is.

My fondest memories are of watching lambs being delivered.

I don't want to sound too bleeding heart, because I know how lucky I've been, but I never knew how hard it was to be the lead in a television show.

It's amazing what it opens up in women when you tell them you've just played a midwife.

I was always told at school I was posh, then I came to London, and here I'm told I have a country accent.

After filming, I can't wait to shake off all that '50s primness. I'll go out to a gig and dance ridiculously. I love to lose myself in music. Just letting go - it's dead important.

Schedules on TV are so tight, and it feels like they get tighter and tighter with every passing year. The idea of asking where your character's come from or where they grew up - you would just get a little bit laughed at.

I think my dream would be to move into film, purely because there's a definite beginning, middle and end to a project. I struggle a bit with such a big series that's going all the time.

My first acting experience was a non-speaking role as a robot. My costume was a cardboard box covered in tinfoil, but I was so shy I refused to go on stage.

I would like to explore comedy, I want to do more theatre, and I definitely want a future in film. I love science-fiction.

I did an A Level in Theatre Studies and had a really inspirational teacher, and then I just went on to university.

I always knew that the only thing I wanted to do was act, but it took me a long time to say it out loud to anyone, let alone myself. I am surprised by how dogged I have been in wanting to make a living as a respected actress.

I grew up just outside Hay-on-Wye, on the borders of Wales, on a farm. It was an amazing childhood, but I got a bit stir crazy when I hit my teens. There was the feeling of having to get out, you know, but it was definitely idyllic.

I have a lot of Breton striped top and silk shirts that always feel good. I also like things with a masculine edge and dislike anything too girly.

I've not stopped going on public transport. I love going on it.