Former US President Bill Clinton visited the West Wing set to talk about 9/11

Former US President Bill Clinton made a visit to the set of popular political drama the West Wing following 9/11, actress Allison Janney has revealed.

Janney, who is best known for playing press secretary and later chief-of-staff CJ Cregg in the award-winning show, told the Radio Times that in the wake of the tragedy, Clinton visited the set to "educate us" about who Osama bin Laden was.

Clinton, who is a prominent fan of the series, "talked to us at great length" said Janney, who spoke to the Radio Times in the run-up to the release of her new movie, Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy and Miranda Hart.

"I remember being amazed at everything he was talking about. It enlightened us and helped us understand," she said.

Last year, former Clinton White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers donated six years of scripts from the TV show to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Myers was one of several former Clinton staffers who served as consultant on Aaron Sorkin's Emmy-Award winning program. The first female White House press secretary also served as inspiration for the character of CJ Cregg.

Last month, Janney made headlines when she jokily smooched British comedian James Corden after he presented her with the gong for Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards.

Three weeks after 9/11, the West Wing aired a special episode which dealt with the aftermath of a major terrorist attack in the US that was suspected of being carried out by Muslims. The season 3 episode, Isaac and Ishmael, was never broadcast in the UK.