You never know what life is going to throw at you, really, do you?
Jasmine - it brings back memories of India with my parents.
The day that changed my life was 3 July 1986, when I went to see American actress and singer Barbara Cook at London's Donmar Warehouse.
I did go to public school, but that's only because my parents were abroad. As a matter of fact, I think that's helped my work. I can go from Victoria Wood's 'Dinnerladies' to playing Barbara Cartland, from 'Coronation Street' to playing Celia in Last 'Tango'.
Camila Batmanghelidjh of Kids Company - what a wonderful woman.
I would have liked Sir Laurence Olivier to ask me to go to the Old Vic and let me play all the roles Judi Dench got.
I'm not really emotionally dependant on anybody except my son, my daughter-in-law, and my grandchildren. But a partner... I haven't felt like that for so many years, I don't really remember what it was like.
What I really want is an Oscar.
I like my own company.
We are just party people. We always had a drink in the evening with the music on and space to dance. It was that kind of a family.
I'm not homophobic. I mean, who cares? You know the state of the world, and you're only here for about 70, 80, years, so why do people worry about somebody's sex life? It's bonkers, really.
I'm enormously proud of being the ancestor of a convict. That's mad, isn't it, but I really am.
I'm afraid sometimes I cram too much into my schedule. And I'm not very domesticated. I'm absolutely hopeless in the kitchen.
I tell myself things will be different in a few years' time, but this is the most wonderful, golden time for me. I'm basking in the success of 'Tango', really loving it.
I never thought of getting married again. I'm quite difficult to live with, I think.
Get an Alan Bennett script; then everybody will want to do it, no matter how big they are.
My favourite time of year is two weeks before Christmas when everybody's up for it - you're having lunches with people, drinking Cosmopolitans, and getting ready for something exciting!
I have notebooks all over the place. I write little stories for my cabaret.
I did a play in Bolton - 'Billy Liar.' I turned it down at first but then thought, 'What the hell else can I do? I'm no good at anything else.'
I think that the romantic suspense that you used to get between people like Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant is much sexier than seeing people taking their clothes off and getting into bed, which is voyeurism.
