Character: Rose
Actor: Paula Jennings
Episode: They Fought In the Fields

Paula Jennings had to learn how to plough a field, milk a cow and drive a tractor in order to play Rose in Foyle's War.

"Rose is a land girl and we physically worked on the fields for the film. I had to plough a field with shire horses. I was trained by a professional and had to do it for three hours. We all commented on how amazing it would have been for these women to do the job for 10 hours a day - we were exhausted after three hours, but it really got you into the character.

"I also drove a period tractor and had to milk a cow in a scene with Michael Kitchen. It was the last scene of the day and we were running out of time. The cow stepped into my light so I had to lunge into her side to stop her stealing my light!

"It was fun getting dirty and mucky and it almost felt like we were real land girls. I think of myself as a country girl but I have never worked outside like that on location, and I totally immersed myself in the story and the character. We filmed at a lovely farm near Ware and it was such beautiful surroundings, it was like being on holiday really!"

Adds Paula: "Acting with Honeysuckle Weeks and Michael Kitchen was a great experience and I really bonded with Jenny Platt who plays Joan. We had such a laugh and we stocked up on all the carbs at lunchtime to keep us going. I think it was a mixture of all the hard work and that country air!"

Paula enjoyed learning more about the Women's Land Army.

"It was a chance for women to make a difference. Like many land girls, Rose is given a chance to work for money for the first time and for something bigger - the war effort. It makes them see themselves as women - independent, self-sufficient, hardy and physically tough.

"It was a period of growth for the girls in terms of friendship and love. For the first time they are also given a chance to find a home and happiness. Our girls put their heart and soul into this project. I thought that by going out into the countryside and working the land, Rose would open up and be freer with her feelings."

Paula also had a great time wearing the 1940s costume.

"Our costume was very basic but it was fantastic. Wellington boots, knee high brown socks, a green v-necked jumper and jodhpur type trousers. My hair was curled and put into a French pleat with a hairnet around the curls. It was all quite romantic and not something I'm used to. Although it was a bit disappointing not to get glamorous 40s dresses!"

Rose enjoys a secret romance during her time on the farm.

Explains Paula: "Rose falls in love and gets pregnant. I always seem to get cast as mothers or pregnant women. I play Dennis Waterman's daughter in New Tricks and in the last series my character gave birth. It's an on-going joke because I am so non-maternal!"

Paula's other credits include The Brief and EastEnders.