I wasn't interested in novelty. I was looking for good drama.

I think quite often a fate worse than death is life, for lots of people.

My capacity as a monk was to passionately believe utter nonsense, and when you’re an actor you have to do the same thing. Also, Christianity used to have a lot to do with self-loathing and an acceptance of criticism and things like that which is terribly important for actors.

It was actually, ‘Where ever there is television, there is poor old shagged out Tom Baker running across the rocks and punting down the river.’

Actors are able to trick themselves into treating anything as if it’s fantastic. It’s a kind of madness really.

I’ve been involved in one or two successes in classical plays but nothing to touch the excitement and the glamour and the gratification of being a children’s hero for so long.

It’s funny, in literature no one ever goes to the lavatory.

I don’t watch television. I know better than that.

I really think that reading a whole script is kind of prying and neurotic, don’t you?

The thing is I’m very interested in bad taste, as anyone who’s ever seen me perform or had dinner with me would know.