‘There’s a reason I’m an actress not a doctor’

Whereas it’s a much more blurred line. There is ego; it’s morally dubious, but there’s also good intention, which makes it complicated. Also, I didn’t know where it was going when I read it. I loved that, it’s exciting to play.”

In preparation she was taken on a tour of an Edinburgh hospital, adding: “I only did medical research that I needed to do. You can’t act the medical stuff, you’re either holding a scalpel wrong or right.

“You don’t find out you’ve got a job six months before [you start shooting], you find out a few weeks [before], so they suggested watching 24 Hours In A&E. It’s real people, real scenarios and the thing you notice the most is no-one’s running in going, ‘Get me this! Go, go, go!’ Everyone knows what they’re doing, it’s quite calm so it was interesting to play the person that’s out of sync with everyone else’s rhythm.

“One thing I was conscious about is that this is a story and when being asked about the NHS, it’s a really precious thing to people and to me personally.”

Jodie doesn’t consider herself suitably “clear-headed” to be in the medical profession saying: “There’s a reason why I’m an actress and not a doctor”, but she can relate to the idea of being an imposter.

“You always think you’re about to be found out. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t feel like that,” admits the actress who studied at Guildhall School Of Music And Drama before making her professional stage debut in 2005.

The following year she appeared alongside the late Peter O’Toole in the movie Venus.

Jodie herself describes it as “a game changer”: “Venus absolutely changed everything because you could say I went from straight out of drama school to being in a film.”

As for the Dorset-based detective drama Broadchurch, in which she starred as grieving mother Beth Latimer, Jodie believes it will take time to appreciate just how significant the role has been.

She said: “It’s definitely been an amazing thing for my career but it’s difficult to know how much of a game changer it is. I may, in five years, be able to go, ‘That was the catalyst for all these things.’

“But I’m not [Star Wars’] Daisy Ridley. It’s not like I’ve gone from an absolute brand-new face to the biggest franchise in the world. It’s from being on television or in films and working and knowing people to then being in a role that has a huge audience.”