Kimberley Nixon is Josie

1 September 2011

"small-town"

Kimberley Nixon went straight into a shared house at drama school in Cardiff but it was quite a different experience from her character Josie's in Fresh Meat.

"I didn't do the lottery allocation that a lot of friends had to as I'd found people to live with, which was lucky. I've got six brothers so I grew up in a house with all boys then I moved into a house with three girls and the differences were incredible," says Kimberley. "Suddenly living in a very feminine house threw me a little bit. The bathroom was unbelievable; it was like a chemist. There were bottles and bottles of stuff. I literally just had a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner; I don't even know what half the products were used for."

She continues: "My birthday is in September so it was during Freshers week which added to a pretty mad week. It will always stay with me, like moving schools; I'll never forget that first day or that first term living away from home, having to do things for myself, trying to get to grips with work. That first term will always stay with me for the feelings of alienation and anxiety but having fun as well and getting to go out when your parents aren't waiting up for you -that new- found freedom."

Kimberley was a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and thinks her experienced differed from those of a university student in certain ways.

"It is quite intensive, long hours and you don't get the time off you do at uni, plus you can't get away with as much. I was really swotty; I worked really hard. I did like to go out and have a good time but I wasn't a huge party animal. It was a 9am - 7pm day, every day, so I was incredibly tired and still trying to see people from my previous life and keep those friendships going."

So, does Kimberley's character Josie remind her of herself as a student?

"She is quite diligent and I am as well. No matter what is going on in her personal life she'll always strive to not let that affect her work which I was also good at. But she makes really terrible decisions and I hope I haven't. Josie finds herself in situations and instead of admitting she got it wrong sticks by it, says 'that's all fine, I meant to do that', whereas I'd think 'that never should have happened, I need to sort it out'. I'd be more aware of the consequences, nip it in the bud. She feels if she has made a decision she has to make it appear that's what she meant to do.

"Josie is probably the one who does the washing up when nothing is clean. She is probably the housemate that if people haven't come back after a night out and haven't replied to her texts then she'd stay up and wait for them and would be quite worried in that mothering way which could probably get quite annoying.

"Although the characters are slightly heightened in the show I think we are all essentially the core of our characters at heart. It became more apparent as the filming went on, the lines were blurring. It is really well cast."

And is there any hope for Josie's relationship with Kingsley, played by Joe Thomas?

"Josie's relationship with Kingsley is text book will-they-won't-they done in the Fresh Meat way; telling each other to f**k off all the time when they should be saying I love you. She thinks he's incredibly special and they have a connection. He ignites her in a way no one else ever has. But different things get in the way, nothing goes to plan, they both lie about things all the time and she makes terrible decisions which scupper any hope of a relationship. But they love each other. It is so dark and off by the end but that is uni isn't it? You get to the end of each term and wonder how, in 12 weeks, did all that happen..."

Having donned bonnet and corset for her role in period drama Cranford, how did Kimberley land a role in a series created by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong?

"I'd been looking to do a contemporary series and this came along but I'd never done comedy before so I assumed there was no way I'd get it. When I heard Sam and Jesse were involved I was frantic; Peep Show and The Thick of It are my favourite shows, I'm such a huge fan. Looking as I do, quite girl next door and much younger than I am must have helped me land the role. But it is really freeing being able to switch from period drama to something so funny and up-to-date. I'm incredibly lucky to do both but I do know I am and I'm just over the moon. I hadn't done comedy before, so didn't know I could do it. It is such a new direction for me but this is exactly my humour.

"I like how Josie looks prim and proper and wears sensible clothes then keeps having one night stands and blazing rows. I really love that contrast. In period drama because of the constraints of the times, especially for women, it's all in what you don't say whereas Josie just says it."