DRESSING to play the part of a historical character from England's ancient past can often mean having to get to grips with several folds of restrictive undergarments.
But in her role as a 14th century nun in new TV series World Without End, up and coming actress Caroline Boulton had to don a whopping 11 layers of clothing in some scenes.
The 32-year-old, who grew up in Caister, is starring as Sister Elizabeth in the six-part drama, set in the English town of Kingsbridge at the start of the Hundred Years War.
Based on the Ken Follett novel, the drama follows the residents as they are led into war by the King and as Europe battles the outbreak of the Black Death.
Caroline, a former Caister High School pupil, said filming the series - which had a budget of $46m - was like being transported to the 1300s.
She said: 'The entire town, including the cathedral, were all built from scratch in a huge field so it was like stepping back in time, sheep and geese running about and lots of mud. Some of my internal scenes were filmed at the largest sound stage in Europe, which was just so enormous.
'Each costume was tailored for the character so mine was very formal and rigid, I had at one point 11 separate layers of clothing and costume on so walking about could be rather tricky.
'I have worked on period TV shows before, like Robin Hood for the BBC but this was a much bigger, more elaborate production.'
The former East Norfolk Sixth Form College student, who trained in dance and acting at the local Phyllis Adams School of Dance, had a nervous wait to see if she had been picked to play Sister Elizabeth.
And she was delighted to land the part she said she thoroughly enjoyed playing.
'Sister Elizabeth is a very pious, confused nun searching for power within the church and who believes she can gain control by helping the Prior Godwyn (Rupert Evans) by acting as his spy and accomplice. Unfortunately not everything goes my way,' she said.
'I loved playing her! Lots of scowling and it's so much fun to be mischievous.
'All my scenes are with fantastic actors too like Charlotte Riley, Miranda Richardson and Rupert Evans, so a really great experience.'
Friends and family will be tuning in to watch Caroline, who now lives in London, when she makes her World Without End debut tomorrow (Saturday).
She added: 'I'm still always excited whenever I see myself on TV in any production I've worked on, as it's such a privilege so I know I am very lucky.
'I love acting and being selected to work on a production as big as this just reinforces my passion for the industry.'
Caroline has recently auditioned for two new series, so is now back to pacing the room with her fingers crossed.
? World Without End airs on Channel 4 tomorrow (Saturday) at 9pm.
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