Manchester Youth theater, then the National Student Theater Company and later my degree course all helped form my love of telling stories and directing.

My first lead role was a stage play called A Kestrel for a Knave. I was 11.

Its amazing what you can do without in terms of filmmaking when a story is really important.

My job is to create a film, where we are capturing truth in performances.

After college I funded my short films with acting roles in film and TV. I learned my craft through the great opportunities British television gave me as a director.

It's amazing what you can do without in terms of filmmaking when a story is really important.

Women have got to make the world safe for men since men have made it so darned unsafe for women.

My favourite thing in the world is going out to get Chinese food, then coming home and renting a movie.

I’d recommend learning to accept rejection. Become friends with rejection. Be nice to rejection, because it’s a huge part of being a writer, no matter where you are in your career.

Cabbage: a familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head.

Parenting is about being competent and responsible. It's not about gender, necessarily.

If you can think it, you can do it

Video games are ubiquitous now.

Think of something that you can do as opposed to all the things you can't do - and do that.

.. you've got to be original, or there will be nothing distinctive or interesting about your playing

It is an old dream: To travel on the back of a benevolent sea beast down to some secret underwater garden.