I have nothing against romanticism. I'm all for it. I'm helpless in the face of romance.

When you have a family, or even when you're just seeing a girl, it's difficult to be skint.

When you've been going on about something for a while, it is always satisfying to discover that other people agree with you.

I did pick up a guitar once, but the strings hurt my fingers so I put it down again.

As you get older you feel you need to pay more attention to what is around you and relish it. I'm greedy for beauty.

Somebody asked me recently, 'Have you done a lot of plays?' I thought hang on. I used to do nothing but plays. I've been very fortunate that on several occasions I've had jobs where I didn't want to be anywhere else in the world whatever you had to offer - however much money you've got.

I did actually sit down with a blank sheet of paper once. I think the phone rang and that was the end of my literary career.