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How would you describe Maud?

When I first discussed Maud I spoke to Heidi about wanting to play an interesting character – and that she most certainly is! Maud is a woman who has been with the British Raj in India, but has made use of her time there rather than continue to be just English. She's a rather eccentric upper class woman, who has some surprising opinions. What one absolutely didn't want was the usual situation of the mother-in-law who disapproves of everything. With Maud you get a mother-in-law who's got her own opinions.

Maud actually has a monkey called Solomon – which was my idea. The more I thought about Maud, the more I thought how very likely she would have been to have a huge love for a pet, because her child was sent away and put in a boarding school England. All the love she would have had for Hallam, she had for the monkey. There's actually a line when Maud mentions how Solomon applauds her every morning when she opens her eyes.

I actually got that from a true story somebody once told me. I have cats (not monkeys!) and a while back one of them was very sick one night. I was desperate to get it to the vet but didn't have a car. So I ran into the road and a flagged a passing car down. There were two boys in their early 20s who were very sweet and took me to the vet's. We started talking and they said how they had just been in India on a gap year. But they'd had to leave one of their friends behind because he'd fallen in love with a monkey. They said that he won't leave the monkey and wouldn't bring it to the UK for it to sit in quarantine for months. This monkey actually used to clap him every morning the moment he saw his eyes opening. I've often wondered what happened to him – did he stay with the monkey?

How did it feel stepping in to 165 Eaton Place?

The sets are marvellous. The kitchen is sensational, but the room I love most is Maud's. I was thrilled that the designers had done such a wonderful job. There was something unusual and unique about it, but in an opulent way.

How was the original concept for Upstairs Downstairs conceived?

Jean and I both used to watch The Forsyte Saga – the one with Eric Porter. It was very, very popular. And we were sitting watching an episode together one day, and discussed how interesting it was that you never see what's going on downstairs. If we'd been alive then we'd have been downstairs – with her father and my mother both having been in service. If life hadn't moved on a bit then Jean and I would most likely have been in service too. We said that that night how it would make a very good television series. In fact, the first idea was for a series that focused only on the downstairs world. But we realised we had to include the upstairs as well.

You weren't in the original series. Was there ever a moment you thought you may be in it?

The part of Sarah was actually written for me. But I was coming up to my mid-thirties – a time when all the big classical projects were being offered to me. It was all happening and I didn't really want to tie myself up.

For me, the interest in being an actor is playing a different part all the time. I've had the career I absolutely wanted to – I've been very lucky. At the time Upstairs Downstairs was happening, I was in Vivat! Vivat Regina. The company did say that they said that they would work around my schedule. But then they wanted me to go to Broadway with the show, and I didn't think that doing both would work.

There have been several attempts to bring it back over the years. What was it about the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s offer that appealed to you?

It was Heidi really. She nabbed me on a plane coming back from LA! We'd been at an awards ceremony representing Cranford. And Heidi and I had become quite friendly on Cranford – she wrote a very good script for that. She really put such a strong case forward for reviving Upstairs Downstairs. Then she introduced me to Piers Wenger – who I liked enormously. But our hands were tied at time as the rights were with a film studio. But that didn't work out, and we waited until the option for it was available again.

What projects are next for you?

I've actually written my own play – for Vanessa Redgrave, which we're waiting to do. We're waiting for both of us to finish other projects and have time off at the same time. The play is as an adaptation of an Australian book called The Spare Room. Vanessa is so very keen on it. I have to hope that we're both well enough and strong enough to do it next year.