For some reason, I got really obsessed with Samuel Pepys and his diaries when I read them, and with that period. I was probably a man with a wig and a frock coat in a past life!

I think I might have exaggerated some abilities in the past. Practical abilities for acting jobs you sometimes have on your CV - I have definitely exaggerated in meetings to get a job and then not been up to scratch on the day.

I decided I'd try my hand as a stand-up comedian, as I loved making people laugh, and appeared at the Latitude Festival, won the 2007 Laughing Horse New Act of the Year, and was a nominee for winner of the 2007 So You Think You're Funny competition.

I was a big fan of 'Blackadder,' and my first commercial was directed by John Lloyd - I could have bored him for hours if I'd known he directed my favourite show!

I enjoy my work. I haven't been an actor for 30 years without getting pleasure out of the profession.

Excellence is not a skill, it's an attitude.

I truly believe Accenture is a magnet for top talent in the new, not only because of the work we do for clients but because our culture supports employees who want to make a difference in the community where we live and work.

I quit my job in the bank when I was 19. I took a chance. I went to Milan to study opera and singing. My father really supported me economically.