In the early '20s, with the war over, there was a period of celebration, and you can see it in the fashion.

I come from a very working-class background, so my family would have been downstairs in the past, as opposed to upstairs. People are often quite surprised to hear that, that I'm not actually posh.

I don't get recognized all the time, but it tends to happen more in America, and people are so lovely when they do.

I really enjoy singing, it's entirely different to acting because I'm just being myself.

Shakespeare's work is like a good song: you never really forget the main lines.

The last time I cried? My godchildren went to see Taylor Swift in concert and got to meet her. They literally ran toward her and hugged her, and it was amazing. I got big bonus points for it. I'll remind them when they're teenagers.

I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn't. This is going to sound quite, um, pretentious, but someone said that it's like a soap written by a poet.