Quotes

[on the British coalition government in 2011] The Cabinet look like an episode of The Apprentice UK (2005) - a group of public school boys full of bumbling earnest, enthusiasm and God-given confidence trying to sell cheese to the French and making a right mess of it.

I'm not drawn to gender politics in a tub-thumping way. But because I started out in the 1980s, I was involved in a lot of things that have become quite unfashionable, such as the woman's movement, and so were a lot of theatre groups.

The only other job I've had was a cleaner. And I was rubbish at that.

People want to dismiss drug addicts. The most effective thing you can do is make people empathise with characters they don't want to.

MsFits started out as a feminist theatre company and in a way we still are but people don't tend to notice anymore.

You can't ever write a play or a film where you know what you want the audience to think. All that does is make you feel good about your politics.

[on Doctor Who (2005)] I don't think the Doctor should have fallen in love with anybody. I think that's wrong. I don't think there should be any snogging or any sexual tension because he's a Time Lord, and his companion is but a mortal.

[on Survival: Part One (1989)] I had this ambition that there would be quite a subtle but discernible lesbian subtext between Ace and Kara. The subtlety of that was conveyed in the face and the close-up and the movement and everything, and all of this was buried under these furry teddy bear heads, which was slightly disappointing.