I do still get the odd fan letter about The Good Life, clearly written by somebody aged 18, who says: Will you send a photograph? And I think: Maybe it's kinder not to. I'm deeply into my 50s now.

Success breeds success, and failure leads to a sort of fallow period.

There is one sure way of telling when politicians aren't telling the truth - their lips move.

The gym is where I get my chill-out time. I try to go six days a week, but when I'm working, that goes down to about three.

As we have more women in power, so the plays and the TV dramas are reflecting what's happening.

My parents were very volatile but very loving. My father would get jealous if my mother looked at somebody. I used to be insanely jealous. It comes out of insecurity. It can come and go, but you get to the point in life where you don't have this raging jealousy and protectiveness about your world.

I'm sure people in the business have said: She's too old for that part. I don't hear about it because your agent protects you from those negative things.