From Weatherfield to a secretive bunker in Utah is quite a journey, but for former Coronation Street star Bruno Langley it is all in a day's work.

Bruno, who played straight-turned-gay Todd Grimshaw in the soap for three years, joins The Doctor and Rose in episode six of Doctor Who, which also sees the return of the Doctor's greatest foe: the Daleks.

He plays scientist Adam Mitchell who works for megalomaniac billionaire Henry Van Statten (played by Corey Johnson), a collector of strange artefacts which he keeps in his secure bunker in Utah.

"Adam is a guy from England in his early twenties who works at Van Statten's underground base," says Bruno.

"His job is to research the stuff that Van Statten buys and tell him what they are."

But in the very depths of Van Statten's bunker is something that the collector has not even allowed Adam to see - the last of the Daleks, although Van Statten doesn't know that that's what it is.

"It is so top secret that even Adam hasn't been allowed near it," says Bruno. "I think Adam is probably a bit of a liability and his boss doesn't completely trust him.

"But Adam seems to know that some experiments have been done on the Dalek - he knows that they have been mean to it and have been trying to drill into it."

Van Statten's attempt to get a reaction from the Dalek has unexpected consequences, because it results in the arrival of The Doctor.

"The Doctor and Rose turn up at the base because they get drawn off-course when the Dalek sends out a distress signal," explains Bruno.

Adam, who gets to travel in the TARDIS in episode seven, takes a shine to The Doctor's time-travelling companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).

"Obviously she's a very pretty girl and Adam hasn't seen any girls for a long time," says Bruno. "He's a bit nerdy and takes pride in showing Rose all the artefacts that he has been working on."

Bruno landed his role in Doctor Who straight after Coronation Street. "I auditioned for the part the same day as doing television interviews that tied-in with leaving The Street," he says.

"I found out a few days later that I'd got the part and I couldn't have asked for a better next role because Doctor Who is another great institution."

But as he's only just turned 22, Bruno's memory of old episodes of Doctor Who aren't that strong. "I do remember Tom Baker wandering around with his long scarf, but not much else," he says.

But he can understand why people are scared of the Daleks. "It's that whole thing like in The Terminator films of something chasing you that you can't get away from. Everyone can identify with that."

Historically, the feared Daleks have never managed to get up stairs but there is a shock in store for viewers this time round as they've made some modifications.

And it is Bruno's character Adam who sees the results for the first time. Says Bruno: "Adam says: 'Big alien death machine defeated by a flight of steps' then the Dalek says: 'Elevate' and starts to fly.

"It's a moment everyone has been waiting for and when that clip was shown at the premiere of the series in Cardiff everyone clapped and cheered!"

After filming Doctor Who, Bruno then shot scenes for the forthcoming The League of Gentlemen film, The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse.

Norfolk-born Bruno's next job is playing Romeo in a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Stafford, alongside Scarlett Johnson (who played Vicky Fowler in EastEnders).

"It's my first professional theatre," he says. "It is very daunting but something I have to do if I want to progress further. Hopefully it will be fun to do and if it is then I'll do much more theatre."

© BBC Press Pack, 22/4/05

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