When you think about such fine actors as Maggie Smith or Michael Gambon, they do all mediums. I think it would be quite sad and a bit dull just to have to stick to one. I like all of them.

There's nowhere to hide in the theatre. You can't be the one in rehearsal who doesn't know their lines.

I prefer watching movies on the sofa rather than sitting next to Bob Geldof at a premiere and wanting to kill yourself.

I'm a mother of three children, and we do make mistakes.

I've never seen an episode of Downton Abbey.

I am delighted to join Doctor Who and to be working with this incredible team. Ms Delphox is a great character and someone I've had a lot of fun playing.

Im a size 12 and Im very happy with it.

'Upstairs Downstairs' and 'Downton Abbey' appeal to people because they're about our history, they look so beautiful, are written by amazing writers and have high production values.

My children have been all over the world, and I think it's so good for them: expanding their horizons and imagination and seeing how other people live.

Authors can alter your life.

Everybody is now so busy teaching that nobody has any time to learn.

Just expressing contempt for your leaders doesn't really accomplish anything.

You must find something that you deeply love and are passionate about and are willing to sacrifice a lot to achieve.

My mom was a single mom, and she had enough on her plate. I knew when I was doing something I wasn't supposed to, and I tried to keep her from finding out about it. I did a pretty good job of that.

When you know where somebody is, you know the most important thing about them.

Today the eyes of orthodox Jews of earth are fixed upon Palestine.

I was never really an impressionist. If there was somebody within my range, maybe I could work on it and do a little exaggeration of them - which I think is really the way to do an impression.

The thing is, unfortunately, I write the best songs when I'm miserable.

If there is a God, the phrase that must disgust him is - holy war.