To criticize a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous, but to criticize their religion, that is a right. That is a freedom. The freedom to criticize ideas, any ideas - even if they are sincerely held beliefs - is one of the fundamental freedoms of society. A law which attempts to say you can criticize and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed.

And, we put a lot more value, or at least I personally put a lot more value, on the creative values and creative challenges of something than the commercial necessities.

I think you're bound to get a sense of any character that you play. It's not something you often do in comedy.

The job is interesting, and the task is difficult, but the man [Maigret] is just a decent man doing a very ordinary job.

Mr. Bean is at his best when he is not using words, but I am equally at home in both verbal and nonverbal expression.

I'm not a collector. I don't like the toy cupboard syndrome that causes so many good cars to evaporate.

It is very linear storytelling, and I think that's not so much the fashion. I was watching a new drama the other night which was extremely non-linear, where you flash back and flash forward in ways that certainly keeps you on your toes as the audience. There's not much of that courage with the storytelling in our Maigret film.