Andrew Davies

“I suppose I have the tastes of someone who teaches at a university in the provinces.”

“You're stuck with being yourself, so the important thing is to find people who like that.”

“One of the things I've always thought is a drag in so many period adaptations is that they are always buttoned up to the neck in so many clothes all the time. I'm always looking for excuses to get them out of their clothes.”

“Plan for each episode to be a satisfying experience, but still leave the audience thinking, 'Oh, my God! Now what?'”

“The writer in movies is about as low as you can get and you really are a hired hand. You are paid a lot of money to be treated like dirt.”

“Novels often have leisurely openings; a TV drama needs an arresting opening.”

“I know that a ridiculous number of classic serials have been commissioned, and that reviews show a reaction against them. The critics seem fed up.”

“I'm not one of these people who say how much better American drama is than English. I find it mostly too American, except for The Sopranos, which I think is the best thing.”

“I'd love to adapt more contemporary novels. But there isn't really enough story and character to make a really satisfying serial, so they tend to be single dramas.”

“People in the BBC are always dying to get out of their open-plan offices.”

“A distinguished producer called Kenith Trodd actually lived in his office for over a year - the cleaners refused to go in because it was such a tip.”

“I'm glad nobody has asked me to adapt 'Wuthering Heights' because I think I would make a mess of it. Everybody makes a mess of it. I think the Bronte Sisters are mad.”

“Be careful about the advice you give, especially to your children.”

“An adaptation I was working on of Trollope's 'The Pallisers' has been axed by the BBC... I was also going to do Dickens' 'Dombey and Son' but they've asked me to do 'David Copperfield' instead.”

“'Affinity' is beautiful and intense, with no laughs. It's a rather delicate and emotional love story, with a spooky element.”