I come from a very working-class background, so my family would have been downstairs in the past, as opposed to upstairs. People are often quite surprised to hear that, that I'm not actually posh.

If Shakespeare was around today I would ask him out to dinner. The only thing I don't like about him is the way he did his hair.

I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn't. This is going to sound quite, um, pretentious, but someone said that it's like a soap written by a poet.

Cooking can cure almost anything.

I think the first time I realised Downton Abbey was a hit was when I was sitting in a tea shop in New York and the couple next to me were talking about Downton Abbey, and then they recognised me.

I had dance training from a very young age, 3 or 4... It taught me how to present myself, about preparation and working in an ensemble, and its something that carries with me to this day.

I don't get recognized all the time, but it tends to happen more in America, and people are so lovely when they do.

I love discovering tiny streets.

I don't mind wearing a corset; it informs your posture, changes the way you move, you can't slouch.

I love cycling, but if I could find a way of building something above the streets for cyclists, that would be amazing. We need even more space.

I get so excited about reading a new script.

Nobody is smarter than you are. And what if they are? What good is their understanding doing you?

Since the Renaissance, people have had to get used to living their life on a random planet in the vast galaxy.

I seek advice from my wife, who has been with me for 20 years and knows me better than I even know my own self.

[ Rajiv Gandhi] was such an infinitely more attractive leader than his mother.

So when I write characters and situations and relationships, I try to sort of utilize what I know about the world, limited as it is, and what I hear from my friends and see with my relatives.

Yes there is a little group of soccer aficionados, but I am not one of them.

Being able to articulate the gospel with accuracy is one thing; having its truth captivate your soul is quite another.

You can see the walls roar See your brains on the floor Become God Become cripple Become funky

Why should I paint dead fish, onions and beer glasses? Girls are so much prettier.

For once, you're going to hear something that doesn't fit into your neat, compartmentalized world of order and logic and reason.