In the period before the arrival of Mrs. Thatcher, politics had been in such low esteem. Everything was so hedged, so mealy-mouthed. Then along came this woman who seemed to have no manners at all and said exactly what she thought. Everyone's eyes were popping and their jaws were dropping, and I really enjoyed that.

I once did a radio program with a famous materialist, that is to say a scientist who believed that absolutely everything was physical and that all emotions were reductive to little electrical impulses in your neurons. And I found that I didn't believe that. But what the emotions really are, I don't have an alternative theory.

I actually went to an Oasis concert. I thought they were a brilliant songwriting band.

She is a new Mrs Thatcher, just with a smaller handbag.

People were making fun of redheads before I came along.

Schepisi is the sort of director who could, would, and frequently did phone me whenever he came across a textual problem.