There's an awful lot of terrible television which I could do, but I mostly stick to Have I Got News for You.

No, there are no hard and fast rules about sources, no printed booklet to help journalists through.

You end up with this succession of periods when everything was marvellous - from King Arthur to the medieval times, Ivanhoe, chivalry, Henry VIII, Merry England, the Blitz

I've got a very peculiar sort of fame, based on being on the telly. It doesn't mean you have the lifestyle people expect.

I like making films about old people because they are repositories of amazing stories that they tell well. And they're incredibly good telly.

All the libel lawyers will tell you there's no libel any more, that everyone's given up.

You have a huge amount of confidence when you're younger, which slowly ebbs away for the rest of your life. You think: 'No problem. I can do that. Why shouldn't I do it?'