Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.

I always had a very strong sense of independence.

I think that when something happens when you're growing up, like a death or divorce, it does open the world slightly because things aren't as straightforward.

I studied English literature at university, but for some reason we only spent one week on [Charles] Dickens, so I remember just trying to find the shortest book that I could find. I was like, "'Hard Times,' really great - it's short, that'll do it."

I'm keen to have balance, as much as possible.

I always wear the shoes of the character a week before going on set; the idea of just putting on a new pair of shoes on the first day of filming is just horrific.

I'm not a huge jewelry fan.