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.

For years, I was often afraid to speak up when I didn't fully understand a script. I'd tie myself in knots.

'Downton Abbey' has become this huge thing, and I really enjoy the success of it, but I sometimes find myself on the outside looking in, which is sort of a healthy way to look at it so you don't get too caught up in it.

My mum taught me always to see the funny side of things.

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

I don't mind wearing a corset; it informs your posture, changes the way you move, you can't slouch.

Shakespeare and his work will always be relevant. He wrote those pieces hundreds of years ago and we haven't really changed as humans, have we? We have to deal with love, honour and adultery now - people were the same then, too - that's what's so wonderful and powerful.