Jodie Whittaker's My London

Home is…

Muswell Hill. It’s the place I’ve lived the longest, outside of Yorkshire.

First thing you do when you arrive back?

Walk. I spend a lot of time in the States where you’re always in a car, so I appreciate strolling along the Parkland Walk, which follows the old railway line from Highgate to Finsbury Park.

Last play you saw?

Moby-Dick at the Arcola Theatre in Dalston. I’m not always a fan of all-male theatre — as an actress I find it a bit depressing — but I was blown away by this production.

Animal you’d most like to be?

A Vietnamese pot-bellied pig because they’re really cute and spoilt.

Most romantic thing someone’s done for you?

Propose to me. (I said yes.)

Best meal?

Jasmine tea-smoked organic pork ribs and dim sum at Hakkasan with the signature cocktail The Hakka.

Best place for a first date?

Walking along the South Bank, and ending up sampling beer in Borough Market.

Building you’d like to live in?

Buckingham Palace. I’d live in part of it and then use the rest as a massive arts venue.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?

Offer concessions to the theatre and cinema so families could go together.

Best thing a cabbie has said?

When I first moved to London I asked a cabbie, who was a real Cockney, to take me to Muswell Hill. I ended up in a totally different part of London because he hadn’t understood my Yorkshire accent. It was like we were speaking two entirely different languages.

Best place to let your hair down?

At gigs. I went to see Rihanna at Twickenham recently and before that I went to Muse. For more intimate gigs I go to Union Chapel near Upper Street.

Favourite pub?

The Red Lion and Sun in Highgate Village where I love having a Bloody Mary.

Biggest extravagance?

Eating out in restaurants. Given what my husband and I have spent in various London restaurants, we probably could have invested in one by now.

Favourite shops?

For books, Foyles because you can immerse yourself in there forever. I get completely lost in Fopp in Covent Garden while browsing the independent cinema section and buying The Sopranos boxsets. Liberty is amazing — I don’t think I’ve ever been in the position where I can afford to buy anything but I like ogling all the jewellery. I could spend hours looking at wine in Laithwaite’s near Vinopolis. If I’m in town, I’ll go to Monmouth Coffee in Covent Garden, otherwise I practically live at Sable d’Or in Muswell Hill where they know my order of latte and an almond croissant off by heart.

Ever had a run-in with a policeman?

No, I’m so PG. The closest I’ve come was standing on the street outside a pub holding a pint glass. I’d absolutely brick if it got more serious than that.

Best piece of advice?

‘If you say something with enough confidence, people will believe you,’ from my dad.

Who do you call when you want to have fun?

Christopher Eccleston and the rest of the cast of Antigone.

Building you’d like to be locked in overnight?

Gordon’s Wine Bar with all the wine and cheese.

Last album you downloaded?

The latest EP by Kodaline, Love Like This.

At the moment you are…

Filming an eight-part drama for Sky called The Smoke, which is about firefighters in the East End.

Who’s your hero?

Michelle Obama. I’ve got a lot of respect for someone who steps up to the plate even when the responsibility doesn’t fall directly on their shoulders.

Good Vibrations is out on Blu-ray and DVD on 5 August