Burn baby burn!
Fiery Jan Anderson has always been hot stuff, and she certainly knows how to turn up the heat
Former Casualty actress Jan Anderson couldn't have felt more at home in her new role as station cook Lisa Hill in London's Burning.
For Jan is no stranger to the fire service. In fact, they've been called to her home on more than one occasion.
"The first time was when I used to go out raving," recalls Jan.
"I came home and crashed out leaving two candles burning on the mantel - piece next to a pine - panelled wall and some plastic sunflowers. I awoke to find the wall ablaze.
"The second time, I was living in a different flat and fell asleep with a candle burning next to my bed. A pillow must have shifted over on to it, because it was on fire, as were the posts of my bed. My hair nearly got burnt and I screamed and jumped out on to the pillow and burned my feet.
"No one gives me candles any more."
It's the same story for her character. "Like me, Lisa can't cook and often sets the kitchen on fire," laughes 28 - year - old Jan.
"She's the lighter element of the show. But she's very different to Chloe, who I played in Casualty. She was exitable and did dodgy things, though she did have a conscience.
"Lisa is much more mature, direct and more free, largely because she's not in a nurse's uniform. If I'd been offered the role of a firefighter, I wouldn't have done it because I didn't want to do another uniform role."
This week, single mother - of - two Lisa discovers Frank Mooney (Tristan Gemmill) and Sally Fields (Heather Peace) locked in a passionate embrace - but will she keep it to herself?
And Lisa herself is involved in a love triangle of sorts.
"It's 'will she won't she' all the way," says Jan.
"She mothers Craig Ross (Leon Black) to make Charlie Mead (Terry Alderton) jealous, and it runs throughout the series. And the end, it could go either way."
Jan, who recently split amicably from her boxer boyfriend Dean Francis, left Casualty at the start of last series.
"I got really bored of being the nice goody - two - shoes in my first and second series," she admits, "so for the third I asked them for something exciting. They gave me this great storyline and then I was out of there."
Bristol - based Jan is set to add her enormous fan base with her new role. And no doubt the letters will flood in, with the usual bizarre requests for her underwear. Not that she minds. In fact she's quite happy to part with them.
"I got a very cheeky letter from five guys who shared a house, asking for one of my thongs," she giggles.
"I thought it was the funniest letter I'd ever read. So I sent them one!"
