You might not know her name, but Jessica Gunning has been part of some of the best, most ground-breaking British film and TV of the last decade. Born in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire ("... where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed," she says. "Claim to fame!"), Gunning later joined the National Theatre where she shared the stage with Hayley Atwell.
Unforgettable moments in Doctor Who (destroyed by CGI munchkins), Fortitude (by far some of the icy drama's grisliest scenes) and BBC Three comedy Top Coppers have confirmed her place as an exciting talent.
1. Doctor Who (2008)
Gunning brought charm to the part of poor Stacey Campbell, who met a darkly comic fate - she melted and was replaced by a pack of adorable Adipose, marshmallow-like blobs that posed an unlikely threat to Earth.
"You do really feel when you're doing Doctor Who that you're part of something that's pretty special," says Gunning. "People are just so passionate about it, and really care for it, which is great. I still get fan letters through from autograph hunters!
"I didn't have any scenes with David Tennant, but working with Catherine Tate was great, and they did some great stunt work with the old Adipose popping out of me - I had tubes everywhere!"
2. Law & Order: UK (2009-2014)
Next for Gunning was the part of Angela in ITV's Law & Order: UK. Originally hired on a one-off basis, she continued to appear on the crime drama for the next five years, becoming the only cast member besides lead actor Bradley Walsh to remain for the entire series run.
As she herself puts it: "If ever they needed a file bringing in, or some CCTV footage scanning, then I was your gal!
"The first audition I had was actually just for one part in an episode - a receptionist in a hotel - but Andy Morgan, the casting director, encouraged the team behind Law & Order to make me the police receptionist - and me and Bradley were the two people who were there from the beginning to the last series."
3. What Remains (2013)
2013's What Remains - a moody BBC One whodunit, written by Tony Basgallop - saw Gunning explore darker territory as Melissa, a murder victim who'd struggled with her weight and ended up desperately isolated.
"It was quite interesting in terms of being a bigger actress," Gunning admits. "...because some of the characters in the script were quite harsh towards Melissa. But the whole thing was very nicely handled - it wasn't broad brush strokes about 'a lonely woman' - but actually quite a chilling tale..."
4. Pride (2014)
In between Law & Order stints, Gunning starred in BBC Two's ambitious ensemble series White Heat in 2012, and last year played Siân James - later the first woman to become Labour MP for Swansea East - in the acclaimed British movie Pride.
"I think we all knew it was pretty special," she says of the BAFTA-winning movie, which told the story of gay and lesbian activists who raised money to help families affected by the 1984 British miners' strike. "Stephen Beresford had written such a great script, but also the story itself was pretty special. Real people, a true story - and a great ending, in a sense."
5. Fortitude (2015)
Her disturbing turn in this year's Sky Atlantic original series Fortitude was perhaps Gunning's most exciting work to date. Her character Shirley fell victim first to a feeder boyfriend (played by Darren Boyd) and later to a horrific parasite which transformed her into a violent killer.
In the drama's most grotesque moment, Shirley tore open her unconscious mother's abdomen with a fork and spewed dark vomit into the gaping wound. "I think the grossest thing for me was the vomiting into her stomach - it looked like frog-spawn!" laughs Gunning, who only had "a little bit of an idea" where her character was heading.
"Some of the episodes hadn't been finalised when we started filming - so the scripts were coming in as we were doing it. I got a rough outline at the beginning of what it would be like - and then cut to me killing my Mum!"
6. Top Coppers (2015)
Her latest role in BBC Three's gloriously silly spoof Top Coppers could be considered a palate cleanser, then. Gunning plays cocky cop Romero, who - along with partner Byrne (Lydia Rose Bewley) - is a thorn in the side of Justice City's finest, John Mahogany (Steen Raskopoulos) and Mitch Rust (John Kearns).
"We're a kind of geeky Charlie's Angels, I guess. I've not had much experience with BBC Three before, but online or not, it's quite freeing and supportive - especially of unknown talent."
"Unknown talent" is a classification that might've fit Gunning herself a few years back, but less and less so, as she earns greater recognition with each new TV and film role.
"It's always 'slowly but surely' in this industry," she acknowledges. "But I look back and I'm really chuffed with the range of projects I've been lucky enough to be part of. I'm loving it!"
Jessica Gunning stars in Top Coppers, airing tonight (September 9) at 10pm on BBC Three.
