Bright as a BUTTON!

AMI METCALF on the joys or playing Constable Peggy Button, the secrets of a sci-fi mystery and being in love with a famous frontman

- IAN MACEWAN

Amysterious phone box, an eccentric time traveller, a glamorous companion and killer robots… No, we’re not talking about the latest Doctor Who adventure, but this week’s Sister Boniface Mysteries case, which unfolds at a convention for fans of much-loved fictional (but strangely familiar) TV sci-fi series Professor Y!

There’s much excitement as devotees, dressed as weird and wonderful characters from the show, descend on 1960s Great Slaughter to celebrate the much-missed programme and meet its eponymous hero, played by actor Kirk Fabricant (Friday Night Dinner star Mark Heap).

But when ill-tempered creator Douglas Wiseman (Happy Valley’s Rick Warden) goes missing, presumed dead, Constable Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf) and her Cotswolds crime-solving cohorts are immediately on the beat trying to find out whodunnit!

TV Times brought south Londoner Ami, 30, in for an exclusive interview to get more clues…

How do the Great Slaughter locals feel about hosting a sci-fi convention in their village?

A lot of Professor Y fans, including Peggy’s colleague DI Sam Gillespie [Max Brown] and local reporter Norman Whalley [Jack Gouldbourne], are very excited about it!

What’s the story at the heart of this instalment?

The writer of Professor Y, who isn’t very kind about the show and would rather forget it, goes missing. The gang, with help from Norman, try to find him, and we don’t know if he’s dead or alive. So it’s not just a straightforward murder mystery…

Was it fun to be in a Doctor Who-inspired episode?

I was really pleased to be working with Mark Heap. He’s hilarious and just incredible to watch. Instead of a TARDIS, there’s a red telephone box, and the costumes and make-up are amazing! I think viewers will enjoy it.