In What’s On TV magazine this week, former Gavin & Stacey star Sheridan Smith has revealed that her new role as Charmian Biggs – the wife of notorious Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs – made her broody!

As you’re probably aware – and if not, you will be if you watch the five part ITV drama – Mrs Biggs tells the true life story of Charmian and Ronnie’s marriage, which, from the outset, was marred by financial woes as they struggled to raise their young children.

So, seeing a way out of their difficulties, Ronnie agreed to become one of a gang of criminals who would steal from the Royal Mail train August 1963. The consequences of the robbery – which was depicted in hit movie, Buster, which starred Phil Collins and Julie Walters – were to devastate Charmian’s life.

However, though she had no idea he’d been part of the infamous gang, when he was imprisoned, she stood by him…

And when he subsequently escaped from Wandsworth prison, she and Ronnie along with their children secretly emigrated to Australia on false passports. But later, Biggs skipped the country, headed for Rio, and as it turned out, he left just hours before Melbourne police discovered where they were living.

Charmian and her three boys were then on their own, facing an uncertain future in a foreign country. And tragedy was to follow when her eldest son Nicky died in a car crash.

Meanwhile, from Rio, Ronnie contacted Charmian and told her that his best chance of avoiding extradition was to have a child in the country, so he began a relationship with night club dancer, Raimunda Nascimento De Castro.

He then divorced Charmian and married Raimunda, and sure enough, they had a child together, and Ronnie’s plan worked out, but of course, Charmian was devastated.

But getting back to Sheridan and how playing out Charmian’s life story affected her, she told WOTV, “Charmian was an incredible mother and I only have dogs. I kept going to Charmian about the children.

“I’ve never been broody, but after this I am. There were so many children of different ages, we had babies, then toddlers and I bonded with all of them.

“They all write me cards now. On my birthday I got lots of Mum cards.”

Mrs Biggs premieres on ITV this autumn.