I’m sorry, but just looking at this picture of Polly Walker gives me palpitations. I mean, just how gorgeous is this woman? (rhetorical question). Ahem, anyway. Serious news tone Paul, come on now pull yourself together man. Nah, sod that. I mean, holy monkeys, just look at her! Yeebees! In fact, I’m so flustered that I’ve started two sentences with the phrase “I mean…” and I don’t even say that in real life. I only ‘say’ it in writing (if that makes sense) and only say it in writing when I’m flustered. I’ll stop now. So… Polly, who enjoyed notoriety in Rome – playing the deliciously evil Atiah of the Julii – is currently on our screen in the soon-to-be canned ITV3 US drama Cane. More importantly, she has signed up to appear in eagerly-anticipated Battlestar Galactica prequel series, Caprica.

I’m loathe to talk about sci-fi too much on TV Scoop because other sites have the patience to go into extreme detail and are far more obsessed about these things than I am. I mean, I do like a bit of sci-fi but I can’t get too excited about per se because I see it for what it is – escapism.

I do acknowledge, however, that Battlestar Galactica is a shining example of the genre, and I’ve enjoyed it very much every time I’ve watched it.

So, its prequel is set 50 years before BSG and focuses in on two families - the Graystones and the Adamas – who grow together, compete against each other and generally make hay in the worlds of the 12 colonies.

Polly will play Sister Clarice Willow, a slightly evil (hurrah! She’s playing evil again!) high priestess at a private religious school called the Athena Academy (where some of the young Graystones and Adamas attend). She’s also involved in an underground religious group.

Can’t wait.