I always felt like assassins were sort of otherworldly and so far removed from reality, but I found her quite funny and a little bit messy and relatable," Jodie Comer laughs, describing her on-screen alter-ego, the enigmatic hit-woman Villanelle, in the most fashionable drama of the moment, Killing Eve.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Jodie Comer attends the Molly Goddard front row during London Fashion Week September 2018 on September 15, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) © Getty Images

"You know that first scene where you see her flip the ice cream over that little girl?" she continues, trying to put her finger on what it is that makes the charismatic, cold-blooded killer oddly likeable for the audience. "Well - not that I've ever done that - but it's probably crossed all our minds at some stage. It's those little moments where you almost find yourself agreeing with her. Even though she is so awful, there is a humanity there, which is why people seem to find themselves rooting for her a little bit, which feels kind of bad!"

Read more: Killing Eve Season 2: Everything We Know So Far

The drama's cat-and-mouse plot is based on Luke Jennings’s 2015 novel Codename Villanelle, and the script is penned with characteristic wit by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. "There is only one Phoebe Waller-Bridge," Comer says, admitting that she was obsessed with the writer's must-see series Fleabag. "You meet so many people in your life and you know when you're like, 'I'll never meet anyone else like you.' She's completely herself and to be around that is very good for your soul, because it's so refreshing."

Read more: Furiously Funny: Phoebe Waller-Bridge On Female Rage

Striking the "perfect dark/light element" in the series and playing a part so "bold and outrageous and charismatic and loud," was both scary and amazing, says the actress, who has previously played the missing teenager Ivy in Thirteen, the "other woman" Kate in Doctor Foster and Princess Elizabeth in The White Princess.

"She's just so full of life and to be able to explore that and not hold back, to just push it and push it and push it," is the element of playing Villanelle that she most enjoys, Comer shares.

The fashion in the series has caused almost as much of a buzz as the storyline and brilliant performances - from frothy candy-floss-hued Molly Goddard to Miu Miu bombers and lacy Burberry. So, what is Comer's favourite item in Villanelle's wardrobe, and how does her own personal style compare?

Read more: Killing Eve: Villanelle's Standout Style Moments

"The suit that she wore in Berlin, the Dries Van Noten one," she recalls. "But what I love about Villanelle is that I don't think she has a particular style. I feel like she'll buy things just because she likes them, whereas if you looked at my wardrobe from the past five years there's an obvious trend, a theme running through it."

"She dresses for herself and no one else," she adds. "That's what was great about Phoebe de Gaye [the costume designer]. She chose things that I would never normally pick up or try on. It was always just wonderful because it would depend what city she is in, and that would influence the way that she dressed."

© BBC Pictures

Comer's performance has won many plaudits, particularly for the way in which the 25-year-old actress - who hails from Liverpool, where she still lives for half of the year with her parents - switches between accents and languages, from Russian to American English and Italian.

"I've always had an ear for accents but I definitely got help on this one," she tells us. "I remember in the initial audition it was like, 'She's from Russia, but she hasn't lived in Russia since she was about 12. She's lived in France, etc. You want to know where she's from but you don't want it to be too strong.' There were quite a lot of elements to it, and that scared me a little bit. I'd get a new episode through and be like, Oh, so now she speaks Italian!", Comer smiles. "It was a challenge, but I always say that if it scares you, then it's worth your while."

Read more: 16 TV Dramas We're Watching This Autumn

Currently filming the second season of the show - which, sadly, we will have to wait a while for before it arrives on our screens - can Comer give us any hint about what to look forward to?

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 05: Sandra Oh, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Jodie Comer attend a special screening of the BBC's new drama "Killing Eve" at BAFTA Piccadilly on September 5, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images) © Getty Images

"I don't think I can. The show picks up from where the first season left off after episode 8, but other than that..." she trails off and laughs.

As for what she'd like to see happen in Villanelle's future, Comer says that it is the development of the dichotomy between the assassin and her birth identity, Oxana, that she wants to delve into further.

"I think there's constantly a mystery about who it is that you're seeing," she muses. "You realise there's a lot of stuff bubbling away. I'm really fascinated by exploring that and also the relationship that Eve and Villanelle have found with each other, because it's something that I think Sandra [Oh, the actress who plays Eve] and I still haven't totally figured out."

Roll on 2019 for Killing Eve season 2.