Diana Rigg

I never relied on my beauty for anything. It was one of those things that was inevitable; you have a bit of philosophy about it. I didn't go into mourning.

I think politicians misjudge our intelligence. We can, and do, see through them. But I quite enjoy watching political programmes because they get the heart going.

Working keeps me young. Anything that exercises the brain like learning lines.

It's a very powerful medium now, and should be celebrated as such, because we have the greatest television in the world.

They do say that the profession gets increasingly difficult, but my career seems to have been inside out.

They do say that the profession gets increasingly difficult, but my career seems to have been inside out. I'm playing the biggest parts now that I'm older. That's probably right, because I wasn't ready for them before.

Maybe at this stage in my career, it's from that younger generation that I have most to learn.

It's a question of economics. If you're paid the same as a man, which now you are in this profession, you're equal.

If a man holds a door open for me or pulls back a chair so that this old bag can sit down, I'm delighted.

I didn't know what to do with the fan mail. I had a little mini, and I used to put it at the back of my mini, and it grew and grew.

Tabloid newspapers are very rich and hold huge funds to fight claims.

We have no companies now, not in the sense that I know, that nurture actors. It's very depressing that, given the money they get, the companies today don't number up in my estimation. They should be bringing on young talent, and they don't.