I had a very high opinion of my father's judgement of things and he said, "You better get a job that pays the bills because a writer doesn't make any money. If possible, get a job that allows you to write in your spare time."

I'm absolutely delighted if people think of me as a reliable purveyor of quality period stuff.

Plan for each episode to be a satisfying experience, but still leave the audience thinking, 'Oh, my God! Now what?

I prefer love scenes to be shot up close with a lot of focus on eyes and mouths. Otherwise it can feel uncomfortable and voyeuristic.

People like bonnets. I don't think you can under-estimate that.

Taking the humour out of Dickens, it's not Dickens any more.

The BBC fulfils a wonderful cultural function. Maybe the problem is that it feels it needs to be everything to everybody.