Ultimately, my research was curiosity driven, which kept me active even in low periods.

I love being bad at something and getting better at it.

Ultimately, it’s a man who was teaching us English Literature in what we call matricula, the last 2 years of high school. He really was quite extraordinary. When he spoke of a Shakespearean play, you almost thought that he grew up with Shakespeare! He was very good, yes. A black guy who was fantastic and gave us a deep love for literature.

Pretty good, I think. I didn’t mind studying. Obviously math and the physical science subjects interested me more than some of the more artistic subjects, but I think I was a pretty good student. Obviously the teacher thought so.

But, tough, I have fallen…flat before. You just get up and dust yourself off.

I dreamt of being an astronomer, I had a series of How and Why Books on the planets and the stars.

But if I’ve come up with any kind of mantra for myself it’s to try and put myself into a state of imaginative play.

A panic attack on stage during The Importance Of Being Earnest. Well, it felt like death.

Choosing parts is based on a series of instincts and hunches

In the series I’ve got massive slabs of dialogue so I had to understand the scientific principles involved and then fake it to credibility.