As Petronella Osgood, Ingrid Oliver was an immediate hit with fans in 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor. Three additional episodes and five audio box sets later and it’s clear that the UNIT scientist is no one-hit wonder, though it wasn’t always this way, as she explains to Nick Joy. She reflects (literally) on her 3D debut and shares tips on using an inhaler while being chased by Zygons.

Ingrid is a last-minute treat for those attending Sci-Fi Ball, her appearance only being shared weeks before the annual Star Trek-skewed convention, adding a Doctor Who element to to the line-up. In addition to her returning role on Doctor Who, she co-starred in two series of comedy sketch show Watson and Oliver and last summer performed solo show SPEECH! in Edinburgh.

Hi Ingrid. So, Petronellas Osgood. I’m curious whether you’ve since met any other Petronellas?

Straight in with a Doctor Who question! No I don’t. Does anyone know any Petronellas. Has anyone met a Petronella? Nice name though. I actually wanted to be named Petra.

Your role on Doctor Who has given you a different profile now – not least being that you’re invited to science fiction conventions. What has been your greatest takeaway from that role?

I really like playing her. I still do Big Finish – they created a UNIT spinoff series for myself and Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart) which is really nice because I still get to be Osgood twice a year and go into a sound booth, but not have to put any of her clothes on. I like the fact that it’s a character I seem to be taking around with me and will probably will be doing for a little bit longer. She’s very sweet and fun to play… and I’m not sweet. It’s nice to explore that side of myself really.

From a cosplay point of view, as an asthmatic in the 1970s I would have loved to have seen a character on TV carrying an asthma inhaler. Are you finding that people identify with her because they have inhalers, or maybe glasses?

Yes, that comes up a lot. One of the organisers here has asthma and he said – I think he was joking – that he wasn’t allowed to use his inhaler in front of me because I would think he was mocking me! I think he was slightly joking but he did need it this morning and asked my permission if he could use it front of me. I said ‘No, absolutely not!’

I have an asthma inhaler, so I get it, though I’ve been chastised for using it wrong. They say ‘You’re not using it properly!’ and I’m pretty sure I am – I do have one myself. I think it’s because sometimes I had to use it and then immediately say a line afterwards, so I couldn’t hold it in. If you’ve got Zygons chasing you, you can’t take a breath for 10 seconds and let it go down!

I understand you’re a big fan of The Thick of It. How much of the appeal of working with Peter Capaldi came from being able to work with foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker?

I think The Thick of It is the best TV show there has ever been, and Peter’s character in it is one of the best creations I have ever seen. When I first worked with Peter I was genuinely scared of him, because even though I’m an actor and I know that they are parts, in order to play a character like that there must be an element of that in you. There has to be. And so the first scene with Peter, I was nervous anyway because it was just him and me – and he’s a phenomenal actor and I’m just winging it all the time – he was there and I couldn’t look him in the eye. That isn’t great when you’re acting with somebody, so it took me a while to actually be able to look at him and realise that he obviously is absolutely nothing like that character. He’s such a lovely man. It was weird, but it was amazing though.

Picking up on that point about an actor inevitably bringing part of them self into the role, how much did you bring of your comedy background to Osgood?

In the 50th, I knew the point of that character was slight comic relief and so that was great for me. I also remember there was a point in the script that said ‘Osgood turns to camera. She’s so frightened that a single tear drops from her eye.’ I was like ‘Ok, that’s not going to happen for a start, because I can’t do that.’ I don’t think anyone can, unless you’re Olivia Colman. People can’t control how many tears come out; I ugly cry when I cry – it all comes out. And it was fine in the end. I didn’t cry, I looked scared and it worked completely fine.

You had a great rapport with Matt Smith.

In one of the brief scenes with Matt, where I first meet his character I think, we slightly improvised a little bit, because we pushed the comedy further than it already was in the script. That was really nice. I think that’s why people liked her.

And did you always see Osgood as a one-shot?

Yeah.

No suggestion that she might be a future companion?

No. God no. Noooooo. I think it’s better with all these things to assume you’re never going to do do it again, and then if you do, it’s a pleasant surprise. And they really do surprise – the security is so locked down and they don’t tell you. I never know until a few weeks before filming that I’m doing it. It was always a lovely surprise to know I’m coming back.

The single tear is something for TV where the camera is close up, so how do you regulate for the stage where everything has to project so much further?

Sometimes I think as actors you can get too hung up on doing nothing and being still. I remember I did a show where I was playing a ditzy fashion stylist, the quirky best friend. That was the part and so I was doing a lot of quirky acting – whatever that is – and the DOP [Director of Photography] on the last week of a three-month shoot said to me quite crossly: “Could you actually just stay still? Because when you move you’re like all over the frame and it’s really hard to follow you.” And I was like “Really sorry, have I been doing that the whole time?” Then he went on to say “Take a look at Bruce Willis – he doesn’t move. Now that’s a star.” And I was like “You get Bruce Willis to play a ditzy fashion stylist then and then we’ll talk!”

So did you craft your performance differently for Doctor Who?

With the 50th anniversary one it was in 3D and a weird filming process. There were two huge cameras and so everything took a long time to light and re-set. There was this pane of glass and they were angled. So, that close-up I’ve talked about, where I had to turn around, I knew that I needed to be quite still. All I could see was my face reflected back at me, which is never a good thing. So that was quite self-conscious making.

I was lucky enough to watch some of the filming of The Zygon Inversion in the play park in Cardiff where you and your double say goodbye to the Doctor. How was that, flipping between different versions of Osgood, and with a crowd of onlookers?

That was quite hard. Not that particular scene, but there was a scene where they were both side-by-side and there were a lot of lines. I think they were talking to camera, giving a message, and that was the first day of filming. I’d just come off a play and barely had time to learn the lines, so I was really panicking. So I would say my line, and then the Scottish lady who also playing me would say hers. We’d go back and forth. They recorded my dialogue then gave me an earpiece and we swapped over so that I was listening to myself acting… which was horrific. Because as you know, if you hear yourself speak or see yourself, it’s just horrible. So I had to try and zone that out and try to act.

And now with the Big Finish stories you’ve also travelled to a sideways universe where there’s another version of Osgood!

Yes. She really gets around doesn’t she!

With comedy partner Lorna Watson

Many guests of the Sci-Fi Ball say that being able to help the nominated charity Teenage Cancer Trust is Part of the appeal of coming along.

Absolutely. I was asked to do this a while ago and when I realised what it was for and how it was all run, yeah of course. I’m looking forward to tonight where I can see some of the video footage of what the charity does and where it goes.

It’ll be a tough watch.

Oh sure. But that’s what I like about events like this. You meet lots of different people with lots of different backgrounds, and science fiction for whatever reason appeals to them. I don’t know if you should ever meet people you like on television. I’m sure I’ve bitterly disappointed all of them and they wish they hadn’t met me now! (Laughs) It’s nice to see people smile when they see you.

Osgood herself is a major fan girl, doting on the Doctor, so you’re getting to see the adoration from the other side.

Yeah, completely.

How far have your conventions taken you so far, and where would you like to go that you haven’t been yet?

I’ve been to Sydney, which is about as far as it gets. That was with the BBC and I went with Peter Capaldi, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, which was the best time I’ve ever had. And Melbourne too. The thing is, I don’t tend to do conventions in the UK and I’m literally doing this one because of the Teenage Cancer Trust connection. I maybe do two a year and tend to pick them in places that I’d like to go to. I’ve been to New Orleans, Miami…

Southampton.

Yes, I’ve saved the best for last! I’ve been very lucky… long may it continue.

 

Sci-Fi Ball is a not-for-profit convention that raises funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Thanks to Ann Lindup, Andrew Keates and the Ball’s directors for arranging this interview.