I was always going to act, literally ever since I was tiny. In fact, I have Doctor Who to thank for that. I wanted to become an actor after being obsessed with Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor Who, in the 1970s. His was the definitive performance of all time in anything.

The books I read as a child were all Doctor Who books! There were hundreds of episodes, which were all novelised, and that's all I ever wanted to read.

Oh, it's a real anorak admission. I've been an obsessive Doctor Who fan since I was a child and it persists to this very day. The BBC run a Doctor Who website and I go on almost every day to check the latest news. Doctor Who is the finest piece of television that has ever been made anywhere. They're putting together a new TV series next year and Bill Nighy is supposed to play the doctor. I've been onto my agent to see if I can get a part, but she's not keen. She says I'll never work again if I do it. I'm proud to say, though, that I have already performed in a couple of audiobook episodes. That was heaven.