You don't ask people about the immigration policies of the U.K. or their country's agricultural policy. Instead, you talk to them about the meal they're eating or their family, and from that you get the sense of another human being, someone we can all relate to.

There is nothing better than playing a scene with John Cleese or Maggie Smith. It's electric. But I don't think I'm the sort of person who needs to have an outer ego in order to produce something. I realised that through the travel programmes.

When in doubt, resort to animation.

Contrary to what the politicians and religious leaders would like us to believe, the world won't be made safer by creating barriers between people.

[There] are people who make a complete and utter mockery of 'democracy' and 'equality' - they're the casualties of the primitive rules of competition which run our society, and the welfare state just keeps them alive. That's all.

The Buddhist version of poverty is a situation where you have nothing to contribute.

I mistrust total competence. I've always felt life is a series of small disasters we try to get through.