It's nice to get your glad rags on for awards like the Baftas, but it doesn't happen all the time.

"I've never see you do something like this before and I'd love to see you try." For a young actor, that's about the most exciting thing that anyone can say to you.

What was interesting was talking to older gay men about what it was like being gay in the Eighties.

You do feel a certain obligation to shows that raise your profile like 'Downton' has. But there are definitely other exciting opportunities out there.

The female attention I have to struggle hardest with is from my two-year-old daughter.

I was never very happy at school.

It’s not a bad lesson to learn in the bleaker months: how you view a storm is a question of perspective; provided you find the right rock to watch it from, it could be the most incredible thing you’ll ever witness.