The ultra-perky Montserrat Lombard has previously appeared in TV shows including Love Soup, Hyperdrive and Roman’s Empire, but the actress has landed her most high profile role to date as the equally perky WPC Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in Ashes to Ashes. She tells Matt McAllister about big hair and on-set chuckling.

Were you a fan of Life on Mars?

Yeah, I was. It was really great, and I didn’t realise that there was going to be a spin-off, so it’s pretty exciting...I have to pinch myself when I’m at work!

How would you sum up your character Shaz?

She’s a good Catholic girl - but a New Romantic at night! She’s very strong, but can be quite silent at work – she knows she has to be as there are a lot of boys around. But she can be very opinionated.

Some people might compare her to Annie…

Shaz is quite different. She’s very modern and of the 80s.

How would you describe Shaz’s relationship with Gene, Chris and Ray?

They’re like a family, even though she sometimes gets annoyed by some of the stuff they say. Throughout the series you see them all looking out for each other. And there are a few sparks between her and Chris!

How does she cope with all the chauvinism in the office?

She bites her tongue! It wasn’t really that long ago, but just how much has changed has been incredible. You wonder how anyone stuck it out really.

How have you found the 1980s costumes?

I’m quite into it – except for the massive hair, which I think will make a comeback! But a lot of it has come back around again, so it feels almost quite modern.

The clothes really are amazing. I went into the supermarket the other day with my hair like this and everyone laughed at me! I must have looked so ridiculous. Because you just get used to walking around with huge hair!

How long did you spend filming the Blitz Club scenes?

We were filming it in a pub for about a day. Steve Strange was there performing. When he walked in, he said it was like going back in time – he couldn’t believe how well they’d done the outfits. It was crazy!

Did you spend much time listening to music from the period to prepare?

Yes, I did at first. But I find it very difficult to get into…When you see it all together it totally works, but it did really drain me when I first started hearing it. I thought, ‘Oh my God!’ It was a bit of a shock! I watched some stuff on YouTube about the Blitz Club, which was great.

What was it like working with the cast from Life on Mars?

They’re a really great bunch and fun with to work. We’re good friends. I thought they might be scary, but they’re not - they’re a real laugh, all of them. I spend all my time laughing and thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m supposed to be serious now!’…People kept being sent off set for laughing!

Ashes to Ashes is currently airing on Thursday nights on BBC1.