There is, come to think of it, a kind of Judi Dench quality to McCain.

If money comes along I will take it. I just want good scripts that try to make you think. I've been offered lots of money in the past but I just know that I would abuse it and get drunk.

I like going to the gym every day because I'm in physiotherapy every day.

A man is still likely to earn more money than a woman, even one doing the same job. You have a far better chance of entering political office or becoming a company director... Women are responsible for two thirds of the work done worldwide, yet earn only 10% of the total income and own 1% of the property... So, are we equals? Until the answer is yes, we must never stop asking.

I didn't want to do a zoo show. I didn't want to do a study of someone with mental illness. I just wanted to show someone who was trying to live their life.

I genuinely was just such a fan of the books. When I heard that this was on the cards, I've got to do this; I've got to get involved with this. I'm such a Philip Pullman fan and actually his philosophies, morals and the way he looks at the world. He does what he does brilliantly as a writer. He writes children's stories with major adult themes and major ideas about making the right choices.

I've always retained my privacy, but now I protect it even more.