Billy Howle

Everyone thinks of the roaring twenties and associates it with decadence and flappers, female sexual liberation, the freedom of women to express themselves, the beginning of feminism. But it was also a time of huge, huge change. ”

The true art is being able to take whatever the writer's done, and if it is a bit flimsy or it is a bit rushed or is just box-ticking writing, then the true artist would be able to make that come off the page and sing for an audience or a viewer. I'm still learning how to do that properly. ”

I think if you stop learning, there's not much point, and so I always hope to be challenged. That's the beauty of this job. ”

Pixar make kids' movies, but there are jokes in there for adults, and it never gets too sentimental. ”

I had that extroverted energy, and I always involved myself in quite adult conversations. My mum never hid us from that. There was never a kids' table; we were never treated as kids, per se, because I don't think she believes in that. ”

I feel like I'm a professional storyteller, really. A lot of people say 'a truth teller,' and, if the writing supports it, that's what your aim is: to try and present people with a series of truths, and then they can make up their mind about those and whether they have any real credence or weight. ”

Depression is something I've lived with since I was a teenager. ”

My mum is a theatrical person. I saw a tape of a theatre project she did when I was a kid. I was really affected by the idea that my mum could turn herself into someone else for the purpose of telling a story. ”

If I could bring 'The Tunnel' to life, I'd like to do it like that. ”

There's a children's book by Anthony Browne called 'The Tunnel' that I've always loved. ”