I'm good at being on my own. As a kid, I was always in my room alone, so I have a high threshold for it. If I'm bored, I'll read. Hanging around doesn't go well with me.

I can't watch shows like 'The X Factor,' for instance. I just squirm for the people involved, for the way they're being used. It's the cruellest, most ridiculous show on television. It's ruined music, ruined everything.

I used to be mouthy. It was all to do with being a northerner and from Manchester, which was suddenly a big deal when I was in my 20s. When I read some of the interviews I did back then, I cringe.

I'm incredibly proud of 'Life On Mars' and 'Doctor Who.' They're just a blast to do.

You never undertake a project because you think other people will like it - because that way lies madness - but rather because you believe in it.

I'm not a people person. I'm not sociable. I have been and I can be, but not as a general rule.

Critics should be to actors what ornithologists are to birds: they can write all they want, but it shouldn't affect them.