Los Angeles - Billie Piper says Penny Dreadful is scarier than the Daleks in Doctor Who.
The 31-year-old actress, who plays prostitute Brona Croft in the dark new Victoria-era thriller, says the themes explored in the series - produced by Skyfall director Sam Mendes - are far scarier than the metallic robots seen in her former show.
Speaking at the launch of Penny Dreadful in London yesterday, she said: "Not that I was scared of the Daleks myself ... But yes, as much as it has all the supernatural elements, lots of it is about mortality. It is about people existing on the outskirts of society becoming one and living with the demons and darkness. And I think all of that is pretty scary - far scarier than the Daleks!"
Billie - who played Rose Tyler in Doctor Who - is joined in the violent new thriller by US actor Josh Hartnett, Eva Green, Timothy Dalton and Harry Treadaway.
Penny Dreadful marks Pearl Harbor heartthrob Josh's return to the small screen after turning his back on big budget Hollywood movies, and he admits it was a challenge not knowing his character's entire storyline for the series.
He explained: "I'm used to getting a full script for the concept of the character from inception to completion, and in the show I was only given the first two episodes so the back-story doesn't exist.'
Watch the trailer here:
Penny Dreadful starts on 16 May at 22:30 on M-Net (101)