Colin Salmon

I take a four-pin extension lead, so I can jack one plug in the wall, and I've got four plugs there for me. With all our phones and different gadgets, I think everyone should carry one. It's become a crucial part of my travel kit. ”

I believe I can do it, but one of the reasons I don't really get into the debate is people keep talking about a black James Bond: how a black man should play him. ”

I liked 'Z Cars' - just hearing the music got me going! 'Coronation Street' was massive in our house. My mum used to say Ena Sharples reminded her of Gran, which she wouldn't have been happy to hear! ”

I love 'Babette's Feast' because of the message in it - an artist will never be poor, and you can melt the coldest heart with love and passion. ”

I am a father, and sometimes I want to stay close to home. By varying the workplace, it gives me space to breathe. I enjoy theatre because it reminds me I'm mortal, and it's terrifying when it goes wrong but the most thrilling experience when it flies. ”

I can't take 24-hour news. Life is what it is, and we can handle it, but when you're getting it pushed down your throat, it's too much. ”

I played myself in an Aziz Ansari comedy, and that was funny to see how they saw me... flowing scarves and a flourish of pink! Eek! ”

Bond' was like Christmas: can't wait for it to come around. Being in the films brought me to a global audience, and I have had the opportunity to meet incredible people. ”

I started to watch 'Play for Today' and plays like 'Cathy Come Home,' and Kenneth Branagh's 'Billy' trilogy in the 1980s, which took us into the world of the Belfast family. As a kid in Luton, how was I ever going to know that world otherwise? ”

I grew up on a council estate in Luton, and as a child, I was very much into the brass-band tradition. I was basically a Salvation Army boy. My English granddad bought me a cornet when I was five years old. ”