Welsh opera diva Katherine Jenkins makes her acting debut as Abigail in this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, ‘A Christmas Carol’.

 

What was it like to star in the Doctor Who Christmas special?

“To be honest, I didn’t think I really wanted to act. I’d been asked to do things in the past and hadn’t done them, but when I got the call to do Doctor Who it really excited me. It’s such an iconic show and one we all watch as family. I wasn’t sure I could do it but after reading for the part, I got a call on my 30th birthday to say I’d got it. It was the best birthday present I could have asked for!”

How did you feel when you joined the rest of the Doctor Who cast on your first day of filming?

“I had the most amazing time. I must admit I was very nervous and I felt out of my comfort zone because I hadn’t done any acting before. However, when I arrived on set the whole team was so welcoming and supportive. They made me feel like I could do it.”

Set on a futuristic planet that looks very Dickensian, this year’s Christmas special is set to be the most Christmassy yet…

“It certainly felt very Christmassy when we were filming it in July! The story is very emotional which I hope is going to touch people. I play the part of Abigail, a young woman who has been frozen in an ice chamber. Needless to say I do get out of the chamber but viewers will have to wait and see what happens to my character.

“I do get to sing though which was nice and I had a really good laugh with Matt between takes. He kept mucking around and singing to me but you know people should hear his voice; I think he’s got a great bass voice!”

What’s your costume like?

“My character comes from a family with really no money so my dress is very simple; it’s a long cotton and lace dress with woollen sleeves and I also wear boots. It’s almost looks like many layers of Victorian underwear!”

Did you enjoy filming in Cardiff?

“It couldn’t have worked out better. My family are based in Wales so some of them came to the set and I got to catch up with everybody, which was nice.”

What have you been upto since filming wrapped on Doctor Who?

“I’m on tour, visiting Denmark, Germany, Australia and America. Then I’ll be performing at the Royal Albert Hall before heading to Afghanistan over Christmas. To kick off 2011 I’ll be working on my eighth album.”

Has Doctor Who given you the acting bug?

“It’s not something I’d ever done before, but I really enjoyed it so maybe in the future I’d consider other opportunities; although I think it would help if the role had a musical element to it!”