I chose to sex-up Dr Who, admits the Time Lord's new assistant

Terry Kirby|Evening Standard11 April 2012

Eyebrows (not to mention hemlines) were raised when Karen Gillan burst into the new Doctor Who series as a mini-skirted kissogram girl determined to seduce the 907-year-old Time Lord.

But the actress who plays his assistant Amy Pond today defended her character's image, saying it was her choice to "sex-up" her wardrobe.

Thigh's the limit: Karen Gillan dressed as a police officer during filming on set near the cathedral in Llandaff, Cardiff

Gillan, 22, said: "Amy has a sexy side and she's confident enough to wear those kinds of things."

Viewers have seen Amy working as a kissogram dressed in a policewoman's uniform. In a later episode she tries to seduce the Doctor, played by Matt Smith, on her bed — pinning him against the Tardis in a passionate clinch. The scene prompted 40 complaints to the BBC and criticism from Mediawatch-UK that it may have been "slightly out of place" in a children's programme.

Sexed up: Karen Gillan with Doctor Who Matt Smith

The Scottish actress said: "I was part of the costume process. I like to think I had a bit of input there. I worked with the costume designer and we just thought that was one of the things that Amy likes to wear.

"You know, she's a 21-year-old girl. Most 21-year-old girls do wear clothes like that.

"I think with my input in it there's obviously stuff that I like in there and stuff that I would wear, but it's put with a different top that I wouldn't wear. So Amy has her own style, but aspects of my style."

Matt Smith agreed she has a racier style than previous assistants. He said: "She is kind of sexy."