Millie Gibson has told how she landed her role in the remake of John Galsworthy’s Forstye Saga, at a “very needed time” after her abrupt exit from Doctor Who last year. The actress, who formerly played Kelly Neelan in Coronation Street, is cast as red-haired Forsyte wife Irene Heron in the third TV adaptation of the books by John Galsworthy.

And Millie says she will be “forever grateful” for the plum part in the series – from the makers of Poldark – which also stars Jack Davenport, Francesca Annis, Eleanor Tomlinson and Tuppence Middleton.

Speaking at the launch of the lavish costume drama, which has already filmed two full series for Five, she said it had been hard work but she’d loved every minute. “It’s totally gruelling but totally worth it,” Millie said. “It came to me at a very needed time and I fell completely in love with it. I fell in love with the cast, I fell in love with the crew and with [producer/director] Meenu [Gaur]. I will forever be grateful for it.”

Nightmares for Channel 4

Last year the Mirror revealed how Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies had replaced Millie on BBC1’s Doctor Who with new companion Belinda, played by Varada Seethu. It came after reports that she had complained about night shoots and been branded a “diva” behind the scenes.

But the actress, now 21, said she had relished her role as feisty and strong-willed ballet dancer Irene, who is married to Soames Forsyte (Joshua Orpin) in the story.

“When I saw the cast release I was like ‘oh my god’ – I’m very, very fortunate,” she said. “We had the most special time and it will always be in my heart and I’ve learned so much from this job.”

But she admitted that the closest she’d got to performing actual ballet was getting a dance shoe tattoo – with her dance scenes performed by a stunt double. “I loved trying to act like I could do that, it was incredible,” she said.

The family matriarch Ann Forsyte is played by Reckless and Cranford star Francesca Annis, who confessed to finding filming in the tight costumes in the height of summer a challenge. “It was tough,” she sighed. “The long, long hours, and it was through this very hot summer where it was like 34 degrees sometimes and we were in corsets and hats all day, from 9am til 7 in the evening which was quite a trial.”

Despite this, she loved the scripts by Debbie Horsfield, which put the women on an equal footing with their menfolk for the first time. “In the original Galsworthy books it’s so predominantly about the men, the women are just shadows practically,” she said. “But this feels very contemporary. It’s about betrayal and love and lust, disappointment and subterfuge. Everyday life! I think young people will be very taken with it.”