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Eve Myles landed her dream role in 2006 when she was given the part of feisty Gwen Cooper in Torchwood, which Russell T Davies created especially for her.

"I was so excited when I got the scripts," says Eve. "It's a five-hour, psychological, action-packed thriller. With a movie, you're looking at maybe 90 minutes of action but, with this new series of Torchwood, we've got five hours.

"It's an event. It's not just the third series where everybody is used to what Torchwood is – this series will actually terrify people.

"The pace increases from the word go. The first episode is an establisher and, by the second episode, you don't know what the hell has hit you. The third, the fourth and the fifth go at such a pace."

For Eve, the new series and the single storyline across all five episodes felt like the right evolution for Torchwood as it makes its debut on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One.

"We've tipped the series on its head and given people a whole new format. It's a completely different style of Torchwood, and is exactly what we should have done. It feels brand new all over again. It's exciting and it's positive."

Of Gwen's role in the team she says: "Gwen is still the heart and emotion of Torchwood, but also realises the responsibility she has as a member of the team. Everybody's got to lose something to gain something, and as harsh as Gwen comes across sometimes, if she wasn't, people would die.

"She's got a huge responsibility on her shoulders. A few years ago she was working as a young policewoman in Cardiff. A couple of years later here she is saving the world with Captain Jack. One way or another something's got to give."

Viewers will see Gwen forge a close relationship with Clem, played by Paul Copley – the survivor of a horrific ordeal who is still haunted by his past.

The scenes she filmed with him proved to be a major highlight for the actress from Ystradgynlais.

"He's absolutely fantastic. I was completely overwhelmed – he's so right for the character. Gwen inevitably becomes his guardian because that's what Gwen does – she's Torchwood's social worker. She's a social worker that can run and fight and stand in her own corner and win.

"With Clem she has this incredible desire to protect him. She's his protector and he's the key to what's going on."

In contrast to the tender moments of some of the scenes she filmed, there was still plenty of high-octane action for Eve – a self-confessed adrenalin junkie.

Of the action-packed scenes, she says: "It's the best part of the job for me. It's the only job where you can really push yourself.

"We've got the most amazing team – you know you're in safe hands. You go through things a thousand times before it ever happens. In rehearsals you don't have the pyrotechnics, you don't have the explosions – so, when you actually do the take you get the realness of it, it's all genuine.

"It's real shock, fear – every kind of emotion you can think of that would come if you really were caught up in that. I'm an adrenalin junkie so it's the perfect job for me."

But for Eve, the adrenalin-fuelled action is on the back burner as she is five months pregnant.

Having just completed filming for the new ´óÏó´«Ã½ One drama Framed, in which she stars opposite Trevor Eve, she is now taking time out to concentrate on her pregnancy.

"I'm not working now until the baby is born. I've worked continuously recently but now it's my time to concentrate on the baby."