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What's your sense of how Torchwood is catching on in the U.S.? The sexiness onscreen should help with that.

I have to say I've been so overwhelmed and surprised, because we're so used to having American shows coming to us. You guys have the best sci-fi shows. And we were actually quite anxious, because we're just this little show from Britain with probably a tenth of the budget you guys have. But it's been really positive, and we're all so happy and excited that it's been given a positive response here.

So, thank you! It really has been amazing in that sense.

And you know, Torchwood is a bit different. We don't really take ourselves too seriously. I mean, we do when things happen, but one of the things I enjoy about Torchwood is it's not just a sci-fi show. It's a combination of all different types of things, and there's something in it for everyone -- even if you don't like sci-fi there's drama, there's action, there's a lot of humor. I think that's one of the great things about the show, and certainly why I signed up for it, because I've never been a huge sci-fi person. But it just felt like the possibilities were endless, and there's so much going on.

There's light and dark -- it's not solid adrenaline.

Absolutely. And because of those light moments, the dark moments become darker. There's more definition and more oomph to everything.

I always felt the pterodactyl is a bit symbolic of that, because it's funny to have around until it swoops down and kills somebody.

Exactly, that's a really good point.

You're absolutely right.

Signing up for the show -- Toshiko is, you know, an Asian child prodigy tech genius, which might be sort of a cliché to start with -- was that something you were at all concerned about?

Yes and no. Yes, I was a little bit concerned, but no, I wasn't concerned, because I knew that Russell [T. Davies, the creator, who also wrote the pilot episode] is such a good writer and I completely trust him. And even before I said anything or voiced any concerns he came to me and said, "By the way, this is just the starting point." We communicated so much about the character. I just had the feeling that, my instincts said everything was going to be okay. I think also I've always been very cautious of stereotyping, being non-Caucasian, I've always been sort of careful what parts I choose. And I've been lucky enough to play mostly non-Asian parts. So in that sense I didn't have any concerns.

Toshiko's heritage does become relevant when it needs to. Obviously in "Captain Jack Harkness," the 1941 episode [1x12, where Jack and Toshiko fall through a time-rift into Blitz-battered London], it was very important. How did you approach Toshiko being put in that situation?

Yeah, that was really strange. When you get into the zone when you're acting you kind of start believing what you're saying and doing, and it's so bizarre because the moment I walked into that set, it was so believable -- it was quite scary.

That's another things that's great about Torchwood, like for example the Tommy episode. It's horrific, when you think about it. Helen Raynor, who wrote the script, had done a lot of research. And it's fact, they [the British Army in World War I] used to kill their own soldiers if they were cowardly, this actually happened. That in itself gives the show a whole different level, a different, heavier meaning, and in that sense it was horrific to play as well.

But absolutely, I think they've got it just right. They make an occasional reference to my heritage, but it's not a conscious thing. That's how it should be -- people are people, we're all the same.

We saw Tosh's mom briefly in "End of Days" [1x13]. Do you think we'll see more of Tosh's family and background?

Yes. Yes, and there's a fantastic episode coming up, toward the end of the series, the latter half, there's one or two really good episodes, and one which will concentrate on how every single character came to be in Torchwood. You find out a heck of a lot more about each and every one of us.

Another big Toshiko episode last season was "Greeks Bearing Gifts" [1x07, where Tosh has a relationship with an alien named Mary and temporarily gains telepathic abilities]. Do you think that experience changed her?

Absolutely. I think that everything major that happens affects her. Like with the Adam episode-- even though we all go back to normal at the end of the episode, something is left behind. There's a scar or a mark, everything has a kind of consequence. I think with "Greeks Bearing Gifts," that was her big lesson, that was her steepest learning curve. And it certainly made her reassess the whole situation -- because she's been so focused on work, that whole Mary incident made her realize that she can in fact express her emotions, and she's allowed to have needs and emotions and be able to be social about it. So I think that made her, if anything, more confident.

And going back to the sexual thing, everyone is all like, "Everyone [on Torchwood] is a bisexual or omnisexual and Tosh is a lesbian" and so on, and I'm like, you know what, I'm not going to go into that. Because for her, at the I think she was in a vulnerable place and Mary just happened to be the one. She needed intimacy. And here was a person that she could connect with, and she happened to be a woman. And I'm sure Tosh would have been mortified -- and she was!

And you already had a connection with her, because that was Daniela Denby-Ashe [as Mary] -- and she was in an AbFab with you [3x06, "The End," as Saffy's daughter in the future].

Oh yes, she was, yes! Of course! Gosh.

Aren't you glad you won't always be remembered just as Saffy's friend "Titicaca"?

[laughs] Yeah, and you know, I've had comments from fans who say, "I love Tosh, but I can't help but think of Titicaca!" But you know, I think she and Tosh are kind of related, somewhere. They're both slightly geeky -- they're long-distance cousins or something.

And it's a small world anyway, since [AbFab co-stars] Julia Sawalha and Joanna Lumley even did a Doctor Who [the Red Nose Day parody "The Curse of the Fatal Death"].

Exactly!

Another link-up -- you were in a miniseries with Indira Varma, who plays Suzie on Torchwood.

Yes! Yes, absolutely. And we're very good friends, she lives 'round the block from me in London, so I see her all the time. And plus John Barrowman, we worked together a hundred years ago in Miss Saigon [actually in 1993; they were the leads together].

But you two don't get to sing very much on Torchwood.

No, but we sing off set. We're always singing!