I suppose I like to think of myself as a film-maker.

My movement from painting to film was a very conscious one.

My criteria for doing a television series never changed. I wanted more stability, I wanted more of a sense of family, I wanted to do light comedy.

Something becomes personal when it deviates from the norm.

I choose material instinctually - at the heart of it are characters that I feel are fresh and original, and allow for an opportunity to, I suppose, explore uncharted ground.

I'd love to just think of myself as a filmmaker, and I wait for the day when the modifier can be a moot point.

Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time.