ON a remote island, a new society is being created. A group of evacuated school children have crash landed. There are no adults to tell them what to do. They’ve ripped up the rule book and are starting all over again. But it’s not long before their utopia descends into a nightmarish hell.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is one of the best known novels of the 20th century and one that gets rediscovered by each generation through its constant status as required reading in many schools and colleges.

It doesn't feel too far away from the place we were in a few months ago when we were worried the world might explode into nuclear war. It was interesting for people of my generation to experience that cold war tension which we've not before.

It was important to avoid it being gimmicky. As soon as we got in the room we quickly discovered how dark the concept is and it all became very real and not like we shoehorning a concept in.

I don't truly believe there's a massive difference between boys and girls at that age - it's society which puts you in a box. Girls can be just as savage and just as mean. I distanced myself from girls for that reason as a child and I was a fierce tomboy who ran around with all the boys because it was far less complicated and difficult to navigate. We had a teacher tell us at one f our readings that she would step in between two boys if they were fighting but she's never go near two teenage girls having a fight.

It's a nice change for me as I don't often play the villain - she has a lot of physical and psychological power so it's really fun and to play and one of the great things about swapping genres around because suddenly you get these very powerful women rather than a victim or someone's wife. When you have a world of women you seem them with a lot more power than they normally do.

My personal life is very geared towards sports and getting out and being physical and so far Ive nevr been able t wor that into any of the acting roles I've had. It's a huge step away from my character in Call the Midwife and as an actor you should always be striving to do things differently and challenge yourself.

I joined in the fourth series just when it went beyond the books. It was amazing to be part of and I was over the moon t get that part. I feel blessed to be part of that show. It was incredibly powerful and not really the show you think it is. It was the thing which game me the most experience and I became part of the family.

On stage the rehersal time in a theatre is very special - I love exploring and trying things out and love talking about my character. I want to explore the motivations f a character and there's so much more time for that it in the theatre. TV is a different challenge but it all comes back to the sme thing.

Ive never seen the films and I read the book once as a child - I try to steer clear of past producrions and versions of things becaue I don't want it to colour what I'm doscovering for myself.

Really pleased to gt up - it hs a great reputation down south and we know all about the great shws that happen here. I'm a country girl at heart and I grew up in Pembrokeshire. What strikes you is the incredible community feel to it - it is a hu with everything going on and it's always busy. You don't usually get that in a theatre especially one that only operates in the evning. Coming in you just thinnk 'wow this is hive f stuff' - it's fantastic and brilliant it's in this area/.