I think some people think that being on television makes you a sitting duck, but you have the right to remain private.

I have sleepless nights before press days.

I'd been gearing up to working in theatre since coming out of drama school, but it was an exciting time for TV drama - it was the birth of Channel 4, and Brookside was very cutting-edge at the time.

I like to think I'm a listener, and I'm fascinated by observing people - I suppose you just lock that in.

I think you know what you're up against when you take on a piece that you know is going to involve dragging up a lot emotions - you can end up being deeply immersed in gloom.

It always interests me how obsessed people are about age.

If I want to run around a field when I'm 70, I would like to have that option.

Running gave me a focus to start looking after myself, to eat properly, and focus on building up my strength.

I always start from scratch with a character - they're never based on anyone else. You get ideas of what people look like, and I'm a great people watcher. You can draw inspiration from people.

Whatever I'm doing, I try to give it everything.

Being an actor is an extension of telling a story and I loved story telling as a child.

There is no greater mistake in life than seeing things or hearing them at the wrong time.

In the world of securities, courage becomes the supreme virtue after adequate knowledge and a tested judgment are at hand.

The silence was killing me. And that's all there ever was. Silence. It was all I knew. Keep quiet. Pretend nothing had happened, that nothing was wrong. And look how well that was turning out.

If people would but provide for eternity with the same solicitude and real care as they do for this life, they could not fail of heaven.

The more you know the less you understand.

I do see myself going to LA. Not anytime soon.

My word is my pride, the wisdom is weak, and that's word from the wise.

However old a conjugal union, it still garners some sweetness. Winter has some cloudless days, and under the snow a few flowers still bloom.

I basically was a precocious little kid.

It is difficult for a student to pick a good teacher, but it is more difficult for a teacher to pick a good student.