Karen Gillan's My London

Where do you stay in London?
Dean Street Townhouse because it's beautiful inside and really small.

What was the last play you saw?
The 50-hour Improvathon at Hoxton Hall. The actors were on stage for 50 hours straight. I only went for four - they were delirious by the time I got there.

What's the first thing you do when you come back to London?
Walk around the Soho backstreets at night with my friends because it's spooky.

What's your earliest London memory?
When I was 17, my dad and I got the train down from Inverness. I had my whole life in two suitcases. We stayed at The Wishing Well Inn in Peckham and I remember being terrified.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I went to Floridita on Wardour Street when I was 18. All I could afford was pumpkin soup and a glass of champagne but it was worth it.

What's your biggest extravagance?
Good red wine.

Which London shops do you rely on?
I spend hours in the DVD section at HMV. It reminds me of going to record shops with my dad. For gorgeous dresses I love a good rummage in Beyond Retro. My boyfriend Patrick Green is a photographer and I like looking around photography bookshops in Soho with him. For the best cappuccino in town I go to the Sacred Café on Ganton Street.

Who's your hero?
Nana Gillan, because she was such a brilliant woman. She was a singer but she never pursued it as a career, which has always inspired me to pursue acting.

What animal would you like to be?
A chameleon, because change is cool.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
I'd make the Tube 24-hour.

Do you have a recurring dream?
It's a bit disturbing... I dream that I have a baby which I accidentally drop and crush.

If you could live in any building in London which would it be?
I'd chuck all the politicians out of the Houses of Parliament.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
'You need to free yourself up a bit,' by Doctor Who director Adam Smith.

Which is your favourite London street for shopping?
Brick Lane. I start at the top and work my way through all the vintage shops. By the end I've got a complete outfit.

What are you up to at the moment?
I'm on my way to New York to promote Doctor Who before we resume filming.

Which is your favourite London pub?
The Prince of Wales on Cleaver Square in Kennington in the summer, when everyone plays bowls on the green. It's where the Kray twins used to drink.

Have you ever had a run-in with a London policeman?
I was walking home with my boyfriend one night and it was freezing so I started to run and he ran after me. A police car stopped because they thought he was chasing me.

Tell me something I don't know about London...
There's a Blue Plaque for Keith Moon where the Marquee Club used to be on Wardour Street.