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This interview ties in with episode 1

Having been suspended from her job for conducting an affair with a patient, Katie is determined to wipe the slate clean and start afresh.

With a new job in a local hospital, albeit in a junior role, Katie hopes for a less complicated life and is determined to stick to her vow of celibacy. But is a quiet time really on the cards?

An old flame comes into Katie's life stirring up all sorts of buried emotions and a strikingly handsome stranger is determined to sweep her off her feet…

Sarah Parish explains what's in store for Katie, reveals what it's like to work with not one, but two handsome men and spills the beans on living with her fellow actresses.

Has Katie moved on from the problems she suffered at the end of series one?

The last time we saw Katie she had been suspended from her job for 12 months for indecent conduct. She has been away for a year doing medicine abroad and is about to start a new job with the NHS. She is training to be a house officer; which she is probably a bit old and a bit over qualified for, but for her it is a fresh start.

She arrives at the huge NHS hospital and gets horribly lost and stumbles across a rather handsome man (who she thinks is a porter), who helps her find her way and also takes a bit of a shine to her.

It transpires that the person who hired Katie is Jack, her first-ever boyfriend from medical school, who is now her new boss!

So, Katie has a potential suitor in the shape of Dan, but there is also an ex-boyfriend on the scene. All this for a woman who has sworn off men!

What was it like working with two gorgeous men?!

It was lovely. They are both fantastic to work with. I had a lot of light, funny stuff with Mark Umbers who plays Dan and some quite heavy stuff with Steven Brand who plays Jack.

It was great, they both have a lot of energy about them and we all worked together really well.

How did it feel to be returning for a second series?

Last year was great but I really loved it this year. We all know each other so well now and the four of us girls lived in one big house that has been split into four apartments, so it was like being The Beatles in Help! We'd all run up and down the stairs, party in each other's houses and borrow sugar and tea!

It was a really lovely atmosphere on and off set which made the three months that we filmed the series a very relaxing time.

Had you expected Mistresses to be as successful as it was?

You never know what to expect. There were all these comparisons to Sex And The City which we were desperately trying to fight off, but, at the end of the day, Mistresses is about four women and Sex And The City is about four women, so we are all labelled as one and the same, but the shows have very different feels to them.

What do you think is the appeal of Mistresses?

I think people get hooked because Mistresses is so episodic and there are so many things going on. Your interest is always kept up on a high because there are four stories happening at once. It's one of those shows where you are desperate to find out what's happening next.

I think people enjoy it because it's easy watching. You can completely switch off and you are constantly given colour and fun all the time. It's like being given a little gift.

What response do you get from people in the street?

I get a lot of comments from men. My local butcher loved the show and was asking me about the storylines. I expected Mistresses to be something that attracted women, but men seem to love it too.

What has been your personal highlight during the filming of this series?

My personal highlight has to be learning to foxtrot with Mark Umbers! We danced at Jessica's wedding and Mark tried to teach me to do it properly. I was absolutely hopeless. Poor Mark had to drag me around the dance floor!

In fact, that whole day was my highlight. We had a great time filming the wedding scenes. It's rare to get the whole cast together so we really enjoyed ourselves.