Jenny Agutter: I put two fingers up at a driver, only to have them say ...

Worst personal trait

I’m impatient and react far too quickly to things. I’m particularly impatient with myself – if I can’t do something properly, I get cross and end up taking it out on everybody else. And I get incredibly impatient in the car. I hate it when people cut in on you and then I can’t help myself – there have been times where I’ve just put two fingers up at another driver, only to have them say, “Ah, The Railway Children!” These days I’ve pretty much given up driving in London altogether. I just take public transport. It’s less infuriating.

Worst advice you’ve been given

At one point when I was living in Los Angeles, a theatre job came up I wanted to do, but my agent said, “Oh, no, you shouldn’t do theatre. It will look like you’re out of work.” And I said, “Well, I am out of work!” Fortunately, it was a piece of advice I didn’t take. It was an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew by Charles Marowitz that showed the cruelty of the play. It was challenging and I’m very glad I did it.

Worst of the worst

Robot chat on websites. The website says, ‘Here are the answers to all your questions,’ but your question isn’t there, so it directs you to the automated chatbot who then doesn’t have the answer either. You actually want to chat to a person, so you go around in circles. We need people to deliver customer service, not chatbots. Like we need bus conductors – they make you feel safer and you can ask for help and directions.

Call the Midwife returns at Christmas on BBC One.