As part of our Eleventh Doctor festivities this month we are thrilled to be able to bring you our exclusive interview with Nina Toussaint-White‏!

Nina guest starred in the Series 6 episode Let’s Kill Hitler as Amy’s best friend Mels, but we soon discovered there was a LOT more to her character than first met the eye…

We chatted to the actress about keeping the secrets under wraps and her memories of filming.

Big thanks to Nina for answering our questions. Follow her on Twitter @NinaToussaint!

Q. Hi, Nina. So when did you first realise you were interested in acting?
A. From an early age I attended acting groups like G.Y.P.T. However, although I always loved to perform, I didn’t truly realise it would play such a big role in my life. Taking A-Level drama was the best thing that could have ever happened to me as it kept me grounded and focused, which was something that I’d struggled with in other areas. From then on it was a natural progression on to drama school and, once graduated, signing with an agent. I guess you could say that, rather than realising I had an interest in acting, I was naturally drawn to a career that made me feel the most comfortable and happy.

Q. How did your guest role in Doctor Who come about?
A. Like every other job Ive had, my agent called and told me I had an audition. I went for it and a few days later I found out I’d landed the role.

Q. Were you already a fan of the series?
A. In all honesty, no. I remember being pretty terrified of the Daleks as a child so I never really gave it a chance after that!

Q. What was it about the character of Mels that appealed to you?
A. Her feistiness! It’s so nice to see strong female roles on TV and Mels is most definitely one of them. There should be more roles like this out there for female actresses. I had a lot of fun playing such a cheeky yet tough character.

Q. Mels was revealed to be an earlier incarnation of River Song. How difficult was it to keep this twist a secret?
A. If someone asked me about the part I’d always tell them to watch it and find out for themselves. Nobody likes a spoiler!

Q. How long did it take to film all of your scenes?
A. It was very sporadic. We filmed the last few scenes in March which took a couple of weeks to shoot. All the bits in the corn field were filmed in July. There was a huge gap in between the filming dates because we had to wait for the corn to grow.

Q. What are your favourite memories from your time on set?
A. My best memory of being on set was when I first stepped into the TARDIS. Although I’d never really followed the show before this, it was here where it really hit home to me that I was in such an iconic show.

Q. Doctor Who fans are known for their dedication. What have been your personal experiences of meeting the fans?
A. It has been nothing but joy meeting all the fans. I attend conventions from time to time and I’m actually off to Chicago in a few weeks to do another. They are very full on and you have to meet and greet so many people but you feel nothing but joy throughout the day. There are always so many happy faces excited to be there. My mouth tends to ache once the day is done from all the smiling!

Q. From your own experiences, what advice would you give to any aspiring actors out there?
A. Work hard at your craft, attend acting classes and/or go to drama school. Get a good agent who can open the right doors for you and most importantly never give up. For the majority, becoming an actor is extremely hard. Yes, there are the few who succeed due to luck or who are handed opportunities on a plate but in most/almost all cases it is a very tough and competitive industry and you have to be very thick skinned to take on all the knock backs. So many people say no to you but if you’re truly passionate about your craft and never give up, I believe you will succeed.

Q. Finally, have you got any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?
A. Yes! I’m currently playing the role of Shelley in the new comedy series Uncle. It will air in January on BBC Three.

Click HERE to salute the Eleventh Doctor with our exclusive guides and more!