It's not so much a thankless task, it's more a job with no thanks
Small though it is, the human brain can be quite effective when used properly.
The waves of time wash us all clean.
One way of watering down the effects of violence is to approach it in a more lighthearted way. I don't mean to say that you laugh when somebody has their arm sawn off, but you can diffuse fear with humour.
I am a big man, but I've allowed my condition to deteriorate by being overweight.
The standard of writing that I'm getting now from 'Big Finish' compares very favourably with some of the stuff I was doing on screen in the '80s.