The writer in movies is about as low as you can get and you really are a hired hand. You are paid a lot of money to be treated like dirt.

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

One of the things I've always thought is a drag in so many period adaptations is that they are always buttoned up to the neck in so many clothes all the time. I'm always looking for excuses to get them out of their clothes.

I'm not one of these people who say how much better American drama is than English. I find it mostly too American, except for The Sopranos, which I think is the best thing.

I know that a ridiculous number of classic serials have been commissioned, and that reviews show a reaction against them. The critics seem fed up.

The older I get, the more fun it is to write young people. It's just a holiday from what is becoming old age, really.

Most actors hate readthroughs - they're exposing themselves before they're ready to, and before they've bonded. But I love them because they give us all the first inkling of what the whole show is going to be like, how each part affects every other part, and we won't see that again until it's all edited together.