I never wanted to become an actress because I'd read great literature or seen great Shakespeare. It was more just wanting to understand what the people were really like, why they said all the strange things they did.

I was always someone who lived in the future all the time, it was always the next thing - dreams of escape.

Sixty felt like a big landmark. Not in a dreadful sense, but none of the other birthdays have bothered me. It's got labels on it - OAP, retirement - and I just wanted to take stock. I wanted to be in my greenhouse at home and at least give myself the opportunity of not working again.

Stage is the most exciting. Film is lovely, because it's like a family.

It's very strong after the birth. It's extraordinary. You can't watch anything to do with kids being harmed.

There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'

I never had any acting heroes. I never really went to the theatre.