HOW IS YOUR CHARACTER DEVELOPING THIS SERIES?
Julie and I have been pushed back in together again. We’ve sort of accepted we’re staying in Larkhall, until somebody comes up with a good idea about building a tunnel… It has to be said we enjoy doing comedy more than anything else. But when my screen daughter Rhiannon comes in to prison, my character becomes quite emotional, so having gone from being quite light-hearted and accepting the prison regime, both of us are very shocked. We turn a corner, into a much more serious state.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING IN BAD GIRLS?
The make-up! Not having to come in and look gorgeous, having someone to do your hair, do your face, push you on set and give you a cup of tea. Actually it’s working with people who are fun, and when you get a good storyline it’s great. It’s also nice working on such a successful show.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
I like the comedy more than anything. I like the fact that she’s very naïve, and the scrapes they get into, and the way she willingly goes along with anything Julie S comes up with.

WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
My Marigold gloves. My pinny. It’s well sweaty in there… It would be nice if she could sometimes be an instigator, because she’s always following Julie S.

DO YOU LIKE THE COSTUMES THAT YOUR CHARACTER WEARS? WOULD YOU WEAR THEM OUT?
I like them for the character, but on cold days, wearing tiny little skirts, no. Also when you have to wear high heels they throw your back out quite badly. Every now and again we go to wardrobe and say ‘Please can we have something new to wear?’ but because we’re supposed to be poor, we don’t get much. You have your favourites, when you go ‘Oh no, not that again, no…’

Would I wear them out? Emphatically, no!

HOW DO PEOPLE RE-ACT TO YOU ON THE STREET?
Very rarely do I get recognised. Sometimes people say ‘Why do I know you? I know your face?’ but it could have been from Darling Buds or whatever. When I say I’m an actress they say ‘Of course, you were in…’ but it’s not necessarily Bad Girls. But Isabelle Amyes and I went to Bognor Regis for the day and we stopped at this café, and the woman said to Isabelle ‘I recognise you from Bad Girls’ and when Isabelle said ‘But she’s also in Bad Girls, she’s Julie J’ the woman went ‘No, no…’ Nobody believes me.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR CHARACTER? ANY TRAITS THAT YOU SHARE?
I think we’re both compassionate people.

WHAT SCENE HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED OR HATED FILMING SO FAR?
The scene I most hated was having to do that thing with the yogurt pot in series 2. I really hated that so much. It was just revolting. But I did love doing the other bits and bobs with trying to find someone to fancy. Going to the chaplain and things like that. Trussing up Di Barker and skedaddling… and in series 1, giving Shell’s dress to Smelly Nelly, who I wish would come back. She was an upper class bag lady, a fantastic character.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW EXTERIOR?
It’s fantastic, and I don’t think it’s going to be half as cold! They’ve made a fantastic job of it. Jane is amazing. It’s actually fun to be there now, nice to get out.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREETIME?
I’ve got four horses now. I train them in a new technique called the Pirelli technique, which I want to learn so that I can teach it, eventually. That’s what I do with all my spare time, in every kind of weather, training my horses.

HOW WOULD YOU GET ON WITH YOUR CHARACTER IF YOU MET THEM IN REAL LIFE?
I think I’d rather like her. We come from very different backgrounds, so whether she’d talk to me, I don’t know. I suppose she would. I think she’d always be in the shadow. I think I’d get on well, because she’s so sweet. But I’m much more dominant than her. I’d think ‘For God’s sake woman, get yourself together.’