Sarah Alexander

“When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought material, wadding, dyed T-shirts, and purple tights so I could say I made the octopus costume myself.”

“The appeal of comedy is that you're not going to look your best. Dressing up or dressing down is something I love and feel very comfortable doing. I feel at my least comfortable when I have to look at my best.”

“People in comedy are just gorgeous, just the best human beings. They are naturally interested in other people and in playing something other than themselves.”

“It's quite rare to be in something that you would love to watch as well.”

“I went to study in Spain for a year after school. It was either that or Russian, so I went for the easy option. I love Spain and go quite regularly. I've done a bit of Spanish theatre.”

“I'm a believer in love - it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Every size, age - whatever.”

“I had my fortune told once at the Great Wall of China. A withered old lady told my fortune - but it was probably one of these things that are set up to rip off tourists. She told me a couple of vague things that came true, but she was probably just lucky. I would never do it again.”

“I think we all love to watch something we know is going to go catastrophically wrong - the old banana skin syndrome, which is particular to the British sense of humour.”

“I'd like to see 'French and Saunders' back. They were hugely influential for me. They make me laugh so much; even their breathing makes me laugh.”

“Life has got better and better since the day I left school. I felt like I wasn't comfortable in my own skin.”

“I often think you need a lot of courage to be in the acting business. The job itself can be incredibly challenging for various reasons. Sometimes it's impossible and requires sheer guts.”

“The secret of comedy is enjoying it. If you're not laughing, it's not going to be funny.”

“I do not understand the pleasure of being so famous. I just don't get it. I love acting and doing the work. That's what it's all about for me.”

“Having started in theatre, for a long time I wanted to be a classical actress. But I've always loved making people laugh - at school, I was quite mischievous, and bit by bit, I found myself working more and more in comedy.”

“I love a psychological thriller, particularly ones that are written by women. I've just finished 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn, which was so creepy and never failed to surprise me, particularly the end.”

“The older Mercedes is absolutely beautiful. It's got that lovely purring feeling as the engine ticks over, which you just don't get in a modern car.”

“I really didn't enjoy myself at secondary school, but the one thing I did leave with was eight fantastic, beautiful, brilliant, amazing girlfriends.”

“My father was a television director and producer, working on documentaries and current affairs programmes including 'Panorama,' and I didn't think he'd find acting a sensible option. But as soon as I'd finished my A-levels, I got on a train to Edinburgh, and that was it.”

“I used to do things like white-water rafting, trekking and horse-riding safaris. Recently, though, I had the humiliation of having to turn away from a helter skelter. It's a very strange thing when you hit a certain age.”

“I have a tendency to overempathize with people, which gets me into tricky situations. I can get sucked in and feel like I need to get involved, which is sometimes helpful and sometimes not. It's better to have more distance.”