Hannah Tointon interview
Hannah Tointon admits there are similarities between her and the character she plays in Switch, Hannah.
"I am quite like Hannah in the way she's very disorganised!" laughs Hannah. "I'm always losing things. I am like her in that way, but hopefully not too much. Although some people I know would say I am very like her."
Hannah, who is the younger sister of actress Kara Tointon, is best known for her roles in Hollyoaks and The Inbetweeners.
In Switch, she stars as the flighty Hannah, who is the 'air' element in the foursome of witches.
"Hannah's element 'air' absolutely sums her up," explains Hannah. "She is always passing by without much thought to what she is doing. She never plans anything; she just goes where the wind takes her.
"I think all the elements sum up all the characters. Hannah is very easy going, she doesn't expect too much, she will just make every situation fun and she doesn't put high hopes on anything.
"If all elements were one person, they would be the perfect person. It's nice that when the girls are together they work as one. They all need each other; if one of them is missing they are lacking a definite personality.
"Hannah and Grace are best friends, and they have known each other since they were young as they come from the same village, Lower Sooth. They met the other two at Solstice Camp and their different personalities meant they worked well together as a coven.
"When you have a group of four girls together it is fun anyway. They may get on each other's nerves sometimes, but beneath all that is a lovely foundation. They all need each other, and miss each other when they are apart. They are like a family.
"I don't really have a group of four friends, even though a lot of girls do. I have always wanted that, but I have lots of different friends not really in one group. I also have friends who have different personalities that I need at different times.
"My best friends are my sister and my mum."
Speaking further about her character Hannah says: "I love that she's always willing to have a go; she jumps at something without really thinking it through. That's where I would say I'm very different from her because I think about everything before doing it.
"I love that trait in anyone. I have friends like that, and it's nice to be around people who are happy in any situation and willing to enjoy anything. It's a lovely quality and I really tried to embrace that when I was playing Hannah."
As the element 'air', Hannah has a natural passion for travelling. In the first episode she is in rural India when she receives an emergency Switch to return home to London and help her fellow witches.
"Hannah is always travelling. She's quite flighty so you can't really pin her down," says Hannah.
"I love travelling, but I'm not as brave as Hannah in terms of going on my own. My dream has always been to do that, but reality I don't think I could. The only way I could really do it now is gradually ticking different places I want to go off my list. I've been to China and Thailand and I'd love to go to India."
In keeping with Hannah's flightly spirit, her wardrobe is a modern mix of ethnicities.
"My costume is very eclectic. We decided Hannah's wardrobe would be a mix of items she has picked up on her travels. At first I thought she would be quite hippy but the costume designer's interpretation of her style was really nice.
"I was scared when I was presented with a pair of harem pants, but now I think they are really cool. In fact they are my favourite part of her wardrobe! They are very comfortable."
Hannah reveals she's always been a fan of supernatural drama and film, and that was one of the reasons why she wanted to star in Switch.
"I have always loved the supernatural, especially witches. I love Harry Potter and I used to love Bewitched. It was one of my favourites! This drama reminded me of that when I read the script, because of its comedy feel.
"I thought the scripts were really funny so I feel very lucky to have got the part. You don't really ever get four characters together in one drama who are all girls. We had a lot of fun filming. Being surrounded by girls is really nice and it was a great atmosphere."
In each episode we see the girls' elements of air, earth, fire and water come together more than once to perform Switch.
"They do lots of different 'Switches'," explains Hannah. "Their first 'Switch' is to try bring a cat back to life. They also come together to help Grace when she accidentally cuts her hair too short and they have to make it grow before her big date. There is also a love charm, and a 'Switch' to help Stella at work.
"They also have hexes put on them by the Witches of Kensington."
The posh and cunningly wicked Witches of Kensington are a rival coven to the Witches of Camden.
"They are rather a mean bunch," says Hannah of their frienemies. "There is an on-going feud between the two covens. Hannah was friendly with one of the WoKs - Alexa - when she was younger, but slowly as time has gone by a feud has developed. Although it's clear the feud has been going on for years, it has never been brought to a head."
"With all the horrible things that happen to girls their age, there is always a way the girls can get out of it using a 'Switch'. I bet there are a lot of girls who wish they could do something similar in a moment of crisis!
"I get myself into so much strife, and wish I could turn back time. The girls in Switch actually can. Having said that, sometimes what they do gets them into even more trouble!"
So, if Hannah were in a coven of witches, what spell would she perform?
"It would be able to click your fingers and be somewhere, I would absolutely LOVE that. And to add in the ability to be dressed and ready as well so when you click your fingers you are exactly as you'd want to be and already there. That would be amazing!"
Hannah's previous credits include The Hour; Walking with the Enemy; Young, High and Dead; and Sinbad.