SET in 1945 in an English country house, on the eve of Labour’s landslide victory at the end of the Second World War, Patrick Marber’s compelling and erotic psychological thriller, After Miss Julie, is inspired by August Strindberg’s 1888 masterpiece, Miss Julie.

During a summer ball, the beautiful daughter of the peer who owns the house, wanders into the servants’ quarters.

As she flirts with her father’s handsome chauffeur, indifferent to the presence of his fiancée, what begins as game-playing ignites into passion.

A new version of the play, with Helen George in the title role, visits Brighton as part of a UK tour, prior to a West End transfer.

George, well known for her role as Trixie Franklin in Call The Midwife and performances on Strictly Come Dancing, plays Miss Julie.

Here she answers some questions for ADRIAN IMMS on her latest role.

Though set in different periods, were there any lessons you took from Call The Midwife that you could apply to this?

I think CTM developed me as an actress in a way that I might not have otherwise. I can be quite shy, and that always held me back in the early part of my career. But I’ve found a confidence through Trixie and CTM that means I can perform roles such as Miss Julie.

Is it easier or more difficult to perform a play of this nature on stage compared with on camera for TV?

The play was originally written for screen (BBC) so I think it has a realism to it. It is also very European in places and very theatrical so really lends itself to stage. By the end it’s almost like an opera.

How would you describe Miss Julie?

She’s a character who has really been there through history, through art and through literature. The particular take on Miss Julie in Patrick Marber’s adaptation is of someone who is very confused. She was brought up by a mother who had very socialist ideals and it’s suggested she could have been part of the suffragette movement as well. Her father is a labour peer and her mother brought her up as a child of nature. She brought her up in boys’ clothes, teaching her about the land and farming, so she’s torn between being the lady of the house and this weird upbringing she had from her mother. She watched her parents have a very destructive and abusive relationship so she’s quite complicated and damaged and somewhat ill-fated.

Does she present any particular challenges for you as an actress?

There’s so much meat to the part. There’s so much substance. There’s so much research to be done. Patrick helps so much with his writing; it’s really all there in the script. Joining up the poeticism and flowery nature of the Strindberg text, which Patrick uses some of, with Patrick’s own language is very interesting. It gets quite bloody and gory in the middle of a refined play so it’s about finding the links between the horror, the gore, the tragedy and the reality because it’s a very real tale.

What is it about the character that resonates with you?

I think there’s something in each of these characters which would and should resonate with the audience. I think at some point everyone will have been in a similar love triangle or could be in one. Another resonant theme is that of finding a woman’s place in a modern world when you’re slightly constrained by how you should behave and how you should carry out your life while at the same time juggling the masculinity that’s within yourself as well.

What do you see as the other key themes of the play?

One of the main themes is entrapment – like entrapment of gender and the entrapment of class. The two central characters, Julie and John, have this very passionate love affair which is very animalistic but they can never truly be together. John has this wonderful line where he says ‘Men like me can rise like bread but never like cake’ and I think that sums up his role in it.

Were you already familiar with this play?

Absolutely. It’s a classic. I did extracts from it at drama school, so I was familiar with it. When my friend Anthony Banks, who is directing it, asked whether we should do this I jumped at the chance. I thought ‘It would be amazing to revisit it ten years later with more experience and more life experience’. This time round I understand more what she’s talking about whereas when I was 20 I didn’t.

How did it feel to revisit that text again during rehearsals for this show?

It’s very different approaching the text ten years later. I understand it better for one. When you are 18 and doing a part that is so beyond your own experiences, it’s hard to fully empathise with Miss Julie – she is young and has had an incredibly confusing and damaging upbringing. Now I get her. I understand her pain and her sense of isolation. I also never dreamt that I would be able to sit in a room with Patrick Marber himself and discuss his play.

Do you have any pre or post-show rituals?

Post-show I always have a drink in the pub. Pre-show I try to just stay calm and focused. A few years ago I’d say my lines 20 times before I went on stage but you can drive yourself mad doing that with the fear of it when actually you just have to relax beforehand, listen to some music and calm down.

Can you pop to the pub without being recognised? And is Trixie on Call The Midwife the role you’re most recognised for by the public?

There are a few times when I am recognised and I always feel awkward about it because I never know what to say, but a lot of the time I can live my life without it happening. It’s mainly Call The Midwife people know from me and also Strictly Come Dancing. Outside of London people are more likely to come up and ask for a photo whereas in London it seems people will notice you and take a sneaky picture. It’s completely different.

What’s the one thing you couldn’t be without on tour?

I’m touring with my dog Charlie so if I lose him I’ll be scuppered. I also take the script with me, of course.

How are you feeling about coming down to Brighton?

Very excited! I love Brighton and hopefully it will be nice and sunny.

After Miss Julie runs at Theatre Royal Brighton from Monday, July 4, until Saturday, July 9, tickets £17-£43 plus booking, evenings 7.45pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm, call 0844 871 7650