HOTSEAT A Hogwarts and all journey round our coastal railways...

Who better to take a ride on the famous Jacobite steam train – otherwise known as the Hogwarts Express – than Harry Potter star Dame Julie Walters? Taking to the tracks for new series Coastal Railways with Julie Walters, the 67-year-old actress tells of picture-perfect scenes and another ‘very busy’ year in film my God, it was so gorgeous!

There’s the amazing crossing of Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is the one you see in the shot of the Hogwarts Express in the film.

Before we set off, I went up to the footplate and had a bacon roll that they made with bacon cooked on a shovel over the coals in the engine.

I’d heard about it happening on old steam trains, but I’d never seen it. That was a nice treat! I TAKE a trip along the West Highland Line; we went on the Jacobite train, which is of course the Harry Potter train.

I was denied that experience when I was doing the films!

It was so beautiful along that line. I’d been to the Highlands before but this was a wonderful way to experience that journey. THERE were a lot of people dressed in costume along the way, which was lovely to see.

One or two people wanted their photos taken, but we were mainly kept separate so that we could film – as the train was moving, we only had a finite time to shoot what was needed. But it did make me feel proud to have been part of the films that reinvigorated interest in this beautiful steam line. THE journey from Saint Erth to Saint Ives in Cornwall was stunning. The weather was beautiful when we were there and you wouldn’t know you were in Britain. I DID feel proud. All of these diverse people, all really interesting and with their own interests and passions – and love. They were great people and when you meet a lot of great people, you do feel proud. There is a ‘British’ personality, or The Hogwarts Express steam train, above, and Dame Julie as Mrs Weasley in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, left I HAVE, years and years ago. I can’t even remember what it was!

It was in the 1980s. It was something about a community centre on a housing estate in Liverpool in 1982 or something.

And I did do Julie Walters Is An Alien, where I did different jobs in the States and that was back in the Nineties. OH NO, I’m completely busy. I’ve been working on the Mamma Mia sequel, which has been wonderful with all the cast back together and having a laugh and a joke again.

Between filming Coastal Railways I was doing Country Music, alongside the really talented Jessie Buckley – if this film doesn’t make her massive, I’ll be stunned.

Before that, I was filming Mary Poppins Returns, playing the role of Ellen. That was great fun.

And, of course, there’s Paddington 2, which is just coming out, so it’s been a very busy year for me. I THINK I could have made a fist of it, but it would have made acting very difficult to do.

Your personality is there and it would possibly make it difficult for people to see into the character you’re playing if you’re constantly on the television, so I wouldn’t want to do too much of the documentaries thing.

But this series has been great fun to film, and it has been really lovely meeting so many different, interesting people with a love of what they do.