Quotes

(On her favourite author, Gerald Kersh): "Gerald Kersh, Gerald Kersh, Gerald Kersh,' who wrote about London in the 30s and 40s. "I discovered a book of his in a second-hand bookshop when I was 11, and was immediately hooked! Tales of seedy London nightlife and Cockney rhyming slang were so exotic to a pre-teen from Pittsburgh!"

(On playing Mrs Hatch in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth (2000)): "She was rich, vain and flighty - and it was the first time I've worked in a corset!"

(On her stage role as pop icon Nico in "All Tomorrow's Parties"): "I absolutely fell in love with the character and it's the only time I've played a person who had actually lived. As it's so liberating to work in a foreign accent, the fact that she was German made her extra fun to play!"

(On why she knows why she finds recording audio books so rewarding): "I like it because it is such an intimate medium. I feel I'm only ever reading to one person. Sometimes I pretend that that person is someone I love and miss - like my grandmother - and that makes it even more enjoyable."

(On the books she's most enjoyed recording): "I loved doing "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott for the beautiful writing and wonderful sentiment, and I really enjoyed "Tell Me Your Dreams" by Sidney Sheldon - but then who wouldn't love playing a serial killer with multiple personalities?"

(On her role as Natalie in Cold Feet (1997)): I love Mike Bullen's writing, and the situations he's put my character in - like the fire-extinguisher cat-fight with Fay Ripley . . . what a blast!