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

Shoes are a good starting point. I’ve become quite fussy about them! A patent pair of Sonia Rykiel oxfords have become invaluable.

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...

I am not posh. I went to a comprehensive school.

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...

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.

The first time I had to hold a baby, I was really nervous, but I soon grew in confidence.

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...

I have a really adaptable face, but when I am just being me, people always think I am younger than I am.

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

I have always appreciated vintage clothing, but after working on ‘Call the Midwife’ for six months, I love moving away from vintage in my day-to-day wear.

I’m certainly not squeamish at all. The countryside makes you very aware of birth and death.

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.

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...

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

I hadn’t realised what an institution ‘Doctor Who’ is.

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.

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...

On stage, I find anger at the unfairness of the world easily.

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

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

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,...

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...

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

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.

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...

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

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...

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...

My fondest memories are of watching lambs being delivered.

I find that women want to tell me about their birthing experiences. In the most excruciating detail. It’s not put me off having children, but I do feel like I know too much.

The most common place I get stopped by fans is the ladies’.

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.’

Normally, I’m the one fawning over the man, but in ‘Call The Midwife,’ I’m the experienced woman.