I'm hoping there's an afterlife. As you get older, you hope even more fervently.

I heard my first laughter on stage, when I was about 10 years old. It was gold pantomime and I remember I was playing Baron Fitznoodle, who was the father of the ugly sisters in "Cinderella." And I walked on and got a great big laugh and I thought that was fantastic, until I looked down and found that my flies were open. And so I always check my flies. I even check my flies on radio.

When I was 6 my father went to fight in the war, so he was my big hero. I thought he was the greatest thing.

I don't want to sound like Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells, but I do think there should be some sort of national service for young men.

My own mentality is that I've retired. They send me these scripts and if I absolutely have to do it, then I go to work.

I'm doing the next Batman. I have to become obsessed about what is offered to me.

I come from the slums; I come from a hard background; I come from a poor family; and I was a soldier.