I’ve always been a family man and count myself as one of those who are lucky to have the comfort of a family.

I feel old and vulnerable. I now realise that I knew nothing and know nothing, but back when my career was beginning, I thought I was a man when, in fact, I was a dewy-eyed...

When I turned 40, subconsciously, life was a blank sheet. Before, it was disjointed, and I was very displaced and quite mad, but it was a brilliant time. Everyone thinks I must have been unhappy.

Although surgeons know how to deal with bits of the brain, they don’t really know how it works.

My wife is a very strong woman.

Brain surgery is a fairly aggressive process. There’s a lot to get through. There’s the beautiful, delicate shaving first, which is really lovely. There’s a wonderful ceremony of putting all the covers on, so only...

There’s no such thing as unwanted attention for an actor.

I lived a dual life, and when my dual life exploded, I began to feel much happier.

The whole process of making ‘Bloody Sunday’ was difficult but extraordinary.

If I get to the end of my life, and people say, ‘He was in ‘Cold Feet,’ well, I was, and it was great. I thought the fourth series wasn’t great. I thought there were...

I’d be a very easy therapist’s subject.

I’ve never felt that acting was my vocation – never had that tortured thing. I love acting, but it doesn’t feed my soul.

I didn’t much like Las Vegas. The noise of the place and the whole 24-hour, ‘let’s play the slot machines all night’ culture of the place just left me cold.

When you see a tumour in the brain, it’s an ugly looking thing. It’s kind of black, grisly and messy. Or it can be white. To see it taken away is just amazing.

As fabulous as technology is, it can also make us very anxious.

My wife would say I’m more Hyde than Jekyll!

I spend my money on holidays and eating out, and it allows me to be generous.