W1A returns! Actress Ophelia Lovibond - hardworking PA Izzy - tells us what she loves about the comedy

Who's your favourite W1A character, after Izzy?

Oh well I think that has to be Will Humpries, played brilliantly by Hugh Skinner. He’s so infuriating, yet loveable at the same time, and Hugh is just so funny. 

What made you laugh the most in the new series?

Hearing the two Hughs (Bonneville and Skinner) riff on the trials and tribulations of Syncopatico... W1A's fictional software system.

What made you cringe the most, watching it back?

I can’t tell you that! It happens later, in episode three or four. It involves Sarah Parish’s character (Anna Rampton) and a loo...

How long do you see Izzy having before she reaches the levels of Lucy Freeman – or even Anna Rampton - or will she be driven away from the corporation?

Izzy is a very driven, ambitious individual so I reckon she has her sights set on having as much autonomy as possible, as soon as possible. But! that’s a lot easier said than done with Will around as she essentially has his workload on her plate too. 

You said that in Hollywood, female characters are under-written. What do you appreciate about the female characters in W1A?

That they are exactly the opposite; they’re comprehensive individuals each with their own very particular agenda and John Morton's dialogue reflects that. It’s not like you could interchange all their lines and it not make a difference. Reading the scripts, you'd never confuse one character with another, because they each have their own voice.They’re also funny! 

What kind of fun did you have off-camera?

There was one particular time when Sarah and Jessica Hynes were lying on the floor of the green room, just chatting away with the rest of us, nibbling on fruit. There was no apparent reason. No one questioned it or even mentioned it, conversation carried on as normal. It quite easily could have been a scene from the show. 

Did Jessica share any comedy insights with you?

Not explicitly, but by osmosis - I’ve loved her since Spaced and been hugely influenced by her sense of comedy. I vividly remember watching it thinking how brilliantly nuanced her character was and immediately being inspired to try something similar at the theatre group I went to on Saturdays. 

Izzy is kind enough to defend Will from criticism… would he have a hope at the Christmas party, ever?

Well anything can happen with enough Crème de Menthe down the hatch...

Do you have any other anecdotes to share from filming?

Just this really - that filming at BBC New Broadcasting House there were so many moments of art imitating life (or it may have been the other way round - it’s genuinely hard to tell with W1A). Most notably, I was never able to get into the building. Although they had my name on the desk and knew I was filming there, there were never any passes left, so some poor soul had to come down from the seventh floor each morning to collect me and escort me up. A la Will and Izzy…

Ophelia Lovibond plays Izzy in W1A.

Ophelia’s byline picture is from Who’s In Today? – See other celebrities snapped as they visit the BBC HQ in London.

W1A returns on Thursday, 23 April at 9pm on BBC Two. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.