Kevin Whately

“I'm not particularly fond of the past, but I do ramble on about it quite a bit.”

“You just suddenly think that there's something quite childish about acting. Basically, it's pretending, isn't it? It's good fun and I enjoy it, but it's a funny way of making a living, particularly when you make a very good wage, as I've been fortunate enough to do.”

“People think I'm thick because of the characters I play. I think I'm brighter than the characters. Well, I hope I am.”

“I'm the captain of the Variety Club over in England, and so I'm playing golf for them once a week but doing odd bits.”

“I wish people would take more care of the countryside.”

“My mum Mary was always a bright, confident and fiercely independent lady.”

“When I have time, I really enjoy cooking.”

“Before my mother's diagnosis with Alzheimer's, I had heard of the disease, but hadn't known anyone who had suffered from it.”

“I'm not interested in more money for the sake of it.”

“From the time you are a tiny baby, a parent's love is usually unconditional. Whatever you do, your parents think you are the tops, but when their memory goes, you stop recouping the love you've put in.”

“I'm fascinated by politicians, because I suspect the huge majority of them go into it full of ideas and for the best possible reasons but end up being hijacked.”

“I initially thought 'Lewis' was a terrible idea. The character had very much been Morse's work donkey and sounding board. But I was persuaded to do it, thinking if it was a flop, at least ITV would stop asking me. But the pilot took off, so we got back on this moving train, and we've never looked back.”

“I'm not interested in more money for the sake of it. You're aware that if you're nicking all the budget, somebody else is getting threepence ha'penny, or the production values aren't going to be so high.”

“I loved Martin Offiah, Andy Farrell and Shaun Edwards in that Wigan team, and they are still heroes today. They were outstanding players and great to watch.”

“When I get some time off, I like to go back to my roots in the North East. My family have been around Northumberland for five generations.”

“When I came down south, I went to one of the early Wigan Challenge Cup victories at Wembley, and I was totally hooked from then.”

“I suppose it's a sentimental thing, but I wouldn't want to do more 'Lewis' than we did 'Morse' because I do still think of it as an offshoot.”

“I've been going to Bamburgh for holidays since I was a child.”

“The more telly you do, the more it feels like a factory.”