Karen Gillan

"I got the recall, the second audition. That was when I started sweating. This huge thing. And it was so secretive I couldn't even tell BBC reception where I was going, had to pretend it was for something called Panic Moon, which is an anagram of companion."

"To be honest, I wasn't really a huge follower of Doctor Who before I got this part. I mean I knew it was huge, but … I was nothing like my mum, who's a proper diehard Whovian. She's got a Tardis money-bag, and Dalek bubble-bath. But having read the first episode I was utterly smitten, and with the character. Amy's a sassy lady, funny and passionate, and her relationship with the doctor has a really interesting dynamic."

"I am legitimately Scottish. I can officially say — yes. Yeah, I am from Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland."

"He's just really unlikely as a hero — which makes him so brilliant, I think, because he's like this mad professor."

"I was a little worried that I was going to look like an overgrown fetus … Maybe that’s true. But it’s liberating. It’s very liberating. Everyone here should shave their heads."

"We saw some amazing actresses for this part. But when Karen came through the door, the game was up — she was funny, clever, gorgeous and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too."

"We knew Karen was perfect for the role the moment we saw her. She brought an energy and excitement to the part that was just fantastic."