Tanya Reynolds on Timestalker, the "fantastic" Alice Lowe and life after Sex Education

Its quality speaks for itself, as Reynolds didn’t even read a line of the script before signing up for the role of Meg. Instead, she was instantly sold on the project as it had Lowe’s name attached to it as the director, writer and lead actor too.

"My agent emailed me and said that Alice Lowe had sent me a letter along with the script asking me to do it," she explains, "and honestly, just the mention of Alice's name, I was like, 'I'll do anything she tells me to.' I am such a big fan of hers.

"I think she's brilliant. I have so much faith in her as a filmmaker. Then I read the script and within, I don't know, four pages, I was just like, 'This is great,' and it just got better and better."

The film follows Lowe as Agnes, an "incurable romantic", as she stalks her crush Alex (Aneurin Barnard) through time from Scotland in the 1600s up until New York in the 1980s. Every century, she’s reincarnated as a slightly more deluded version of herself, with her friends in tow, before her own stalker, George (Nick Frost), murders her in every lifetime.

And so, the toxic cycle repeats itself, where everyone is in love with the wrong person and pursuing them to an unhealthy end, that is until Agnes changes the narrative… or so she thinks.

At the centre of this pink-pastel dark comedy, underneath the beheadings and meta analogy of an artist’s obsession with their own art, is sweet Meg ("I love Meg, bless her"), a heartbreakingly loyal companion to Agnes who gradually evolves from a stranger to a maid to her best friend in each reincarnation.

Speaking about the various iterations of Meg, Reynolds said: "It’s such a fun challenge. In most things, you're looking at how your character evolves over the arc of the story and in whatever time and situation you're in.

"But for this, because it was so many different time periods, it was like, 'How does this character evolve? What is this character's arc?' and trying to give her that arc over literally centuries.

"Alice described her as the heart of the film because she's expressing the one true love of the film, because she loves Agnes so much, and she's completely loyal to her."

While Agnes is focused on pursuing this heterosexual romance relationship with Alex, a man who at best gives her terrible small talk and at worst ignores she exists, she seems to overlook the value of her one platonic love in every lifetime - Meg. Something we might all be guilty of from time to time.

"I feel this more and more as I'm getting older that we're taught this narrative to penguin up and find another person, and that we won't be lonely if we have a romantic partner. We're always on this thread of searching for romantic love," Reynolds adds.

"But there's so much to be said for platonic love, for friendships, and maybe the loves of your life more often than not can be your friends."

Meg is on hand in every life - dildo in hand - to help Agnes satisfy her every need, however misguided her quest.

And part of the joy of this film is that the time travel opens up a wealth of aesthetics with each new era.

"I think we spent the most time in the '80s, which was great, as there were so many different looks," she reflects. "Meg evolved throughout the '80s as she’s been finding herself, she found women’s liberation and she’s seeing a therapist, probably discovering a lot about her sexuality.

"It was fun as she starts in New York with a little bowl cut and then gets a bit cooler. But I loved the futuristic era, which you don't see much of in the film, but that was so fun just snogging Alice and then doing a little dance."

The one and only dance routine in Timestalker, where the whole cast form an in sync troop as they head out to fight their opponents outside (as you do), is one of the best oddball additions of the film.

"We were just in this underground thing, I don't even know what it was, somewhere in Cardiff," Reynolds explains. "We were learning this dance routine in these boiler suits, and I felt so cool. I felt like this is the closest I'm going to get to being in a boy band."

Reynolds and I took a moment to agree that every film should end with a rehearsed dance routine: "It was just the perfect end. I remember talking to Alice about it and she was like, 'Well, everyone loves to leave the cinema to something like that.' You leave with a bit of a skip in your step if you just watched a random dance number. I think it's genius."

It’s clear that the cast and crew poured their heart into Timestalker, which Reynolds says is not only testament to Lowe as a director but the special nature of working on an independent film.

"She’s such a fantastic director and every single member of the crew and the cast were there because they really believed in the script and really believed in Alice, and you really felt that every day on set," she says.

"It's so hard to get independent films made. It took Alice seven years to get this made, which is actually really heartbreaking considering how good it is, and that’s why I really want people to go and see this and support independent films.

"It’s a space where creatives like Alice, who has control as a writer, director and actor, have space for absolute creativity and exploration."

Timestalker is one of Reynolds many successes, after she sky-rocketed to fame as Lily Iglehart in Netflix’s award-winning series Sex Education.

"I just feel so lucky, really," Reynolds says looking back on her time on the show. "She was such a gift. I love roles like her, [but they] just don't come around all that often. She was so special.

"I knew when I was auditioning - they hadn't sent any scripts or anything - I just had this one scene, or maybe two scenes, of Lily, and I just knew from those scenes, I have to play this character. She's so funny.

"It's been so long since we started, since the first season, and I'm still pinching myself that I got to do that. It's really rare. Those roles, they're rare. I just feel really lucky."

After being on a successful original series, there can be a daunting feeling of 'what’s next?'. Reynolds felt the chapter came to a natural end after three "wonderful" years as everyone’s favourite fan of alien erotica.

"I played her for three years, and they were wonderful and I loved getting to explore her and grow with her," Reynolds said. "It felt like my storyline in the third season really felt quite final for me, for Lily. I was quite happy to leave her there. I was about to turn 30 and it felt right to go into my 30s and onto pastures new."

Since then, Reynolds has taken on a plethora of roles, from an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma to the Oliver Twist spin-off Dodger and, most recently, Netflix's The Decameron.

"I love doing period stuff," she shares. "I know a lot of the time the costumes are very uncomfortable, but I actually love that. I love feeling like total escapism into an era.

"I love anything period - anything that isn’t right now. I haven't done anything in the '20s or '30s or anything like that; I would love that. I want to do them all!"

Reynolds' next adventure is one she’s immensely excited for. Returning to the stage after her storming success in A Mirror earlier this year, where she was even nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award, the actress has joined the star-studded cast of Chekhov’s The Seagull alongside Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, Emma Corrin and Jason Watkins.

"I'm so excited," Reynolds gushes about the play set to run for six weeks in February next year, "I actually didn't know the play before I auditioned, and then I read it for the audition, and I completely fell in love with Marsha.

"I was like, 'Oh, I am Marsha. I must play her!' I really felt like this was something I had to do. I had to get it. I am so happy that it's happened and that I'm doing it.

"I can't believe it. I get to meet Cate! I'm really terrified, and I know it's not been long, but I’m still itching to get back on stage again."

After that, Reynolds isn’t sure what’s next, but she's happy to take "every script as it comes".

"I love stories and projects like Timestalker that are just totally original and come from really exciting collaborative and creative processes. I’ve always got my eyes open to anything, really."

One thing is for certain, though, if Lowe comes calling again, Reynolds is there: "Yes, please Alice! 100 per cent."

Timestalker is showing in cinemas now.

If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.