Douglas Henshall

“I'm sure there are people who associate Iona with what they want it to be but for me it's just a nice place.”

“I could never call myself a Chelsea fan. I'm a St Mirren supporter. But after about 35 years of watching St Mirren, I think I'm entitled to go and see what else there is.”

“I do believe in my national identity. I'm very proud, of what I come from and where I come from, and there are values up there that I like and that I hold on to: loyalty I suppose, and a sense of humour, and a lack of self pity.”

“We have a rich cultural tapestry in Scotland, it's not that there's a lack of stories.”

“I wanted a jumper. After all, in Shetland you are in the land of the Fair Isle sweater. But then everyone said to avoid that - Sarah Lund has cornered the jumper market.”

“I entertain people. I think that's pretty good. That's what I contribute to society. I'm proud of what I do.”

“I wanted the world when I was 20, and when I took stock at 40 I realised I hadn't come anywhere close to getting it.”

“When you've got an audience, there's a silence in there that you don't find anywhere else. And it's really powerful. People are there listening with you and you're affecting them in some way.”

“I always wanted to do good work, but not in order to buy big houses and big cars. I just wanted to be 'alright', to have enough money to be able to live on, to go to the cinema when I wanted to, and buy the books I wanted to read.”

“I got to be in a western, which was the best fun ever. It's one of those boxes you tick. I've wanted to be in a western since I was seven and suddenly I got to go out there and be a sheriff, ride a horse and have the badge, firing a Smith & Wesson.”

“When I was a child growing up in Glasgow my parents did Christmas incredibly well. They were as excited about it as we were.”

“I'll lie awake and think about scenes I could have done better, that I could have filmed in a different way.”

“Normally, I bolt at the idea of playing anyone for too long because I don't want it to become dull and like another job.”

“Every job I still think 'I wonder if this is the one they're going to sack me for'.”

“It's one of those weird things you start doing: you get to have on-screen teenage children and play policemen. That's what happens to you when you hit 40.”

“I started doing more theatre because I love that and I ended up doing television. I ended up doing it.”

“After my marriage ended - a hundred years ago - I had a few memorable Christmases on my own: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”

“I live in London, where you're assaulted, from the minute you wake up. Your head becomes like a hive of bees, with all the noises being thrown at you, all the time. And then, you go somewhere like Shetland and you start to hear birds, wind, and natural sounds.”

“One of the first jobs I did out of drama school was a panto at the Magnum.”

“Do you know, I didn't play a policeman up until I was 40, and then suddenly that's what I have been asked to play.”