My philosophy? Have a laugh for as long as you can and don't get run over. Or stabbed.

Avoid employing unlucky people - throw half of the pile of CVs in the bin without reading them.

My greatest hero is Nelson Mandela. What a man. Incarcerated for 25 years, he was released in 1990 and he hasn't reoffended. I think he's going straight, which shows you prison does work.

I don't do anything for the money.

When you think of things like The Sopranos, The Wire, Damages, they are beating film on a regular basis. Most films are terrible. It's only the 2% that are good. There's things you can do on TV which you can't do on film. There is something about those episodic, serialisations that are grand and operatic.

With 'The Office' and 'Extras' I've always snuck in a little bit of heart and pathos - and drama, which is fun.

I've never done anything for the common consensus. I do things to please me. If you are happy with something yourself, you become bulletproof.