Your own personality is a world away from Claire Brightwell, the twisted nurse in Peak Practice. What reaction have you had from people?
I remember after my first episode of Peak Practice was shown my mum rang up and I asked �What did you think?� And she replied: �I hate you � I hate that character! She�s horrible!�
Your mum�s right, but have you enjoyed playing her?
I�ve played Claire with relish. I�ve got a great buzz from playing someone who is a complete bitch! You have to delve into places inside yourself where you would rather not go. But in a sick kind of way it�s quite fulfilling.
So, what motivates such a �bitch�?
Claire�s a man-eater and a man user. She does what she does to get herself somewhere � she�s not searching for a normal relationship.
This week her crazed life takes another terrible twist involving Will. Tell us what happens.
Claire�s looking for a father figure and Will falls into that bracket. Will�s in a vulnerable place. His marriage to Kate isn�t going well. After Claire buys him a drink at the pub, he ends up in a more intimate position with her than he�s comfortable with.
He ends up accused of rape, right?
He rejects her and she takes revenge. What happens is quite mysterious. I can�t really give it away as it only comes out at the end of the episode.
Spoilsport! At least tell us if you had any raunchy scenes?
Well, there�s a snog and a bed scene. The rape scene is very different to what you�d imagine. At first, Will is semi-willing to go along with Claire, but he realises his mistake and pulls back. Claire resents that and coerces him into doing something he doesn�t want to do.
Was it difficult to play?
It was qite harrowing. There was a lot of crying. It was hard as it doesn�t come from a natural place. Claire�s disturbed and it�s a struggle for me to understand why a woman would behave that way.
What�s Simon Shepherd like?
Simon�s lovely to work with. Some of the scenes were difficult and he was down-to-earth and relaxed. When you�re acting, you have to be very intimate with someone one moment, and just a normal person the next. Simon�s very good at having a laugh afterwards.
Playing such a scary woman, do people ever imagine you�re like her?
I don�t think so. I�m not like Claire at all, I�m much more friendly. Or maybe they do think I�m like Claire and they�re just too scared to say!
You�ve got to admit, after your Tanya Pooley character in Coronation Street, this temptress business is becoming a bit of a habit!
Tanya was different but, yes she was a strong, sexy woman, too. She was less disturbed than Claire. The Street was my first TV job. I�d gone to drama school, worked in the theatre for a year, then I got my role in Corrie. It was a baptism of fire.
So tell us how filming Peak Practice compared to Corrie?
The hours on Peak Practice were harder as I was away from home. With a soap, you work five to six days a week and it�s pretty much a nine-to-five job. On Peak Practice you might have four days off, then you film constantly for three, then have a day off. It�s less relentless in a way, but the hours are longer. You often work 14-hour days.
Being away from home � how did you cope?
I live in North London and we were filming in Derbyshire, about 230 miles away. I commuted by train. I�m married to Laurence, a graphic designer, and I�ve got my daughter Elise, she�s six. It was hard being away. I was glad to finish and get home and be a family again. A Peak Practice series takes a bout six months to film. I rented a converted barn in Derbyshire and Laurence and Elise came up if I was working the weekend. Elise loved it.
Does Elise get very upset when you�re away?
She doesn�t like it. But I try to make sure she understands how much I love my work and how much I love her � and that it really makes me happy to be able to have both. I want her to understand what it�s like to have a career you really love, rather than a job you just do to make money. Hopefully when she grows up she�ll look for something she wants to do from her heart.
Corrie was where you made your name but then it went quiet for a bit. What happened?
Well, I got married and had Elise. Me and Laurence have been together eight years and got married six-and-a-half years ago. The ceremony was in an orchard just north of London. We stood beneath the trees, which lots of out arty friends decorated. I took 18 months off when I had Elise. When I went back to work I took her with me. I�d enrol my friends to look after her. I would try anything to have her around. I do want more kids but not for another year or so.
So will we see more psychotic females in the near future?
I�m filming an episode of Nice Guy Eddie, a BBC drama with Ricky Tomlinson. And for once I�m playing a nice character! She�s a pleasant, upper-class, self-made woman.
What about Peak Practice � any chance of you returning?
They�re talking about it at the moment. My character goes a ballistic, so it may be difficult to bring her back. If you see any of the final episodes you�ll understand. I did get on with everyone up there, so we�ll see what happens.
And finally, is Elise proud when she sees her mum in Peak Practice?
I don�t really like to let her watch it because I don�t think that it portrays her mum in a particularly pleasant light. This series is a bit more risky and gutsy than the one before. I don�t think that it is suitable for a child of her age to watch. One evening I put her to bed and I was watching the telly when I saw this little head pop around the door and say: �I can hear you on the telly Mummy. It�s you!� I think she is quite proud of me as her little friends at school say: �We saw your mum on Peak Practice.� And she always replies in a sad voice: �Mummy never lets me watch it!�
Julia Francis, TV Quick 12-18 January 2002