HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR CHARACTER DEVELOPING THIS SERIES?
I don’t think she’s developing very well actually! Mainly due to going out with Jim Fenner, I think there’s going to something of a downfall. Her career’s on a slippery slope, with the introduction of one or two characters. I don’t think she’s going to be in a very good position at all, but being a strong character I’m sure she’ll bounce back. There’s hope yet. She will have her revenge, eventually, I think.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING IN BAD GIRLS?
The cast and crew, because they’re great. Everyone’s equal, there’s no stars, the stories are great. I think it’s quite good in this day and age when you can go to work and look forward to going to work, because it’s fun. It makes a real change.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
I think what I like best is the fact that she is strong. She’s pretty resilient. She won’t break rules, but she’ll bend rules if it’s appropriate. To a certain extent I think you have to use your judgement and I think she’s got a very fair judgement of people, and she uses that. She’s not a very good judge of character as far as Jim Fenner is concerned, but love is blind and I think she’s been blinded! But I think she will awaken to his character and what he’s about, and hopefully she’ll see him for what he truly is, and that’s when the fun will start…

WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
I hope she will become a bit more ballsy. There are little inklings of what she could be like, there’s a slight rebellious streak but she never takes anything to extremes. Everything’s so controlled. I’d like to see her go off the rails at some point. Maybe she will…

DO YOU LIKE THE COSTUMES THAT YOUR CHARACTER WEARS? WOULD YOU WEAR THEM OUT?
I would wear my prison uniform all the time! I am so into A-line skirts and flat pork-pie shoes that I think I might steal them, and wear them at home! No! Most of this series I’ll be in uniform. As far as the suits she wore when she was Wing Governor, they were quite nice. They were nicely cut and probably quite expensive. I’ve got my eye on a Jean Paul Gaultier. It’s a rather nice pinstripe, which will go down well on the racecourse and to Sunday lunch…

HOW DO PEOPLE RE-ACT TO YOU ON THE STREET?
I still get more Kims than Karens, which is a bit of a bummer. There’s so many strong characters in this that it’s more of a team thing, and I was in Emmerdale for a long time and the character was more established. The main reaction really is, from 99.9% of people, is ‘Get rid of that Fenner’ and ‘Does she really not know what she’s doing, are you blind?’ But there is that 0.1% that say ‘I hope you and Jim get married.’ I think ‘Hmmm…’

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR CHARACTER? ARE THERE ANY TRAITS THAT YOU SHARE?
We’re both kind of organised. I’m a Capricorn so I am kind of organised and logical and listy. I’m very listy. I make lists about everything. And I guess Karen is too, she likes to know what she’s doing, to have everything in its place and be on top of things. So that’s one similarity. Other than that, no. Not her choice in men… Jack wouldn’t be offended by that, would he? Perhaps I should say ‘Of course, she’s got much better taste in men…’ And she doesn’t really seem to have much of a sense of humour. She hasn’t been given a lot of humour! I suppose she’s in a position of authority – you can’t see her walking around with a fart machine or something.

WHAT SCENES HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED FILMING SO FAR?
The scenes where the relationship with Jack is building, and there were some great scenes with Debra in the second series.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW EXTERIOR?
Jane Tomblin (Designer) and the team have done such a brilliant job, it’s tremendous. It obviously will be a lot easier. It’s sad in a way because everyone used to quite look forward to going to Oxford, it was a like going on holiday and everyone had a really good laugh and that’s gone now.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREETIME?
Go racing, horse-racing, ride my own horses… all horsey stuff. I’ve got four horses of my own. They’re in training with Les Eyre up in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. I go up and see them every Saturday morning about eight o’clock. It’s always been in the family, we’ve always been into horses. I’ve got a horse called Boom Shadow, which is obviously a technical filming term – the boom is the big pole with the hairy thing on the end, and if you get a shadow, you can’t have them in the frame.

HOW WOULD YOU GET ON WITH YOUR CHARACTER IF YOU MET THEM IN REAL LIFE?
OK, actually. She’s quite a level-headed person. I think I’d have to tell her off about her choice of men.

WHAT’S THE WORST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?
I did quite a lot of naughty things when I was younger. I like playing tricks on people. I had a fart machine on set the other day. I do find things like that funny though. I know it’s very childish, but I do love toilet humour. I can’t say who we ‘got’ on set. It’s hidden, and you have a remote control. So when they walk past they think you’ve dropped a fart, and you look at them as if they have, and they don’t quite know. It’s just very funny, but so childish.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?
Getting the Emmerdale job. It just changed my life. Not only career-wise, but I met my husband there. That was a real turning point in my life, career, and personal.