Doctor Who series 8: Keeley Hawes confident 'everyone will love' Peter Capaldi's Time Lord

The actress also admitted she was nervous about joining a programme with such a large and dedicated fanbase

Actress Keely Hawes will be starring in an episode of 'Doctor Who' later this year

Line of Duty star Keeley Hawes has said that audiences are going to love Peter Capaldi’s incarnation of the Time Lord when the show returns in August.

Hawes will be starring alongside Capaldi’s Doctor in an episode from the forthcoming series, playing the enigmatic Ms Delphox, an otherworldly character with a dark secret.

Speaking at last night’s Freesat Free TV Awards, the actress told The Independent: “We were in a terrible thing together years ago but a really, good fun thing.

"So, I knew him and Douglas McKinnon who directed the first three episodes of Line of Duty was directing it, so I felt very relaxed about that."

She added: “But he’s just brilliant. Peter Capaldi is just fabulous – I think everyone’s going to love him.”

Hawes said that she “loved” working on Doctor Who but was slightly daunted by the whole experience: “It was quite nerve-wracking going on such a big show.

Keeley Hawes as Ms Delphox in Doctor Who (BBC)

"It feels like a big show because it is so well known and people love it so much, there’s a big old Who fanbase out there, so you’ve got all that pressure. I hope people enjoy my episode – it’s really good fun.”

The episode sees the Doctor and his companion Clara venturing to the mysterious planet where they encounter Ms Delphox.

The story has been penned by Sherlock writer Steve Thompson, who also wrote the Doctor Who adventures ‘The Curse of the Black Spot’ and last year’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS’.

The long-running sci-fi series took home the award for the Best of British TV programme or series for the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, with the judges praising the show’s longevity.

Line of duty won the award for Best TV Drama while the Best Factual Series went to Educating Yorkshire.

Other winners included The Wrong Mans, which was awarded Best Sitcom and Best Live TV series going to Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.