Bill Bailey

Comedy can be quite all consuming at times, and if you're not careful you end up doing a tour, then a DVD, then another tour then a DVD. Suddenly the years have just flown by. ”

Some musicians are a bit humourless about their art: they lose sight of the fact that as well as exercising their muse, they're there to entertain. ”

I hate getting ill, it irritates me so I try to stay reasonably healthy. ”

I discovered I'm 60 per cent Viking. Well, more Danish, I suppose. I'm also two-and-a-half per cent Neanderthal. ”

The devil's in the detail and sometimes if you're thinking too big, you can miss the detail. ”

I met Amy Winehouse a few times and she was always funny, charming and self-deprecating - just a delight to be around. ”

When I was in Cardiff, playing with the National Orchestra of Wales, they said they get letters from people complaining if they're smiling during the concert. Nuts, isn't it? As if you have to respect the solemnity of the music by not smiling. Music is this joyful thing that enriches our lives, and you're not supposed to smile? ”

The worst thing is when people try and take pictures surreptitiously. I always say, 'Look, you can ask me for a photograph. You will get a much better one than just the side of my face.' Sometimes they just run off. They can't cope. ”

But being in 'Doctor Who' is a dream come true. I've been a fan since I can remember watching TV. ”

My earliest memory is feeling soil between my fingers when I was around three years old. ”