Miranda Raison plays Jo Portman
How has Jo's character developed from the last series?
Jo has changed quite a lot this year. Last year she was
more interested in trying to be a journalist and really
thought the whole spy thing would be a bit of a game. She had a rude awakening when Adam's wife got killed.
This year she has had more training and has bucked up
her ideas; toughened up a bit. She has seen more and is
less naïve. She's still headstrong, but she has settled
down a bit.
She's also been allowed to balance out the field operations with the research side of the job. So that it's not just a desk job.
She loves the research – she was trying to become an investigative reporter, after all – but she needed to get out a bit too.
Did you enjoy going out on location?
Yes, it's great to get out. Last series I loved being on the Grid and didn't really understand why everyone wanted to get out. But now that I'm on my second series I do realise that it does get a bit stuffy in there.
What is her relationship with Adam like this series?
Her crush on Adam has abated somewhat, thank goodness! She definitely had Adam up on a pedestal last series. He could do no wrong in her eyes, partly because he recruited her, which was very flattering, and partly because she really admired him. But now she's seen that he's not perfect and they are more like mates.
Which episode did you enjoy most?
Episode three was really funny to film. But it's quite violent too - I get bashed around. It was probably more fun to make than it will be to watch. But I really enjoyed honing my Ninja skills. I get to beat up a couple of stunt men, which was hilarious.
It's really quite difficult to thump someone you‘ve never met before and make it look convincing. They kept saying, "Just hit me, just hit me! It really won't hurt." Which was a bit humiliating!
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