Quotes from Lesley Sharp

I learned a lot from Russell T. Davies, who is the most wonderful writer.

My father served in the Royal Scots Fusiliers for many years.

I don't think I've ever gone home and not been able to shake it off. I like having my own life too much!

I think everybody, at some point, rather feels that they have to shake themselves up somehow.

You have to know what you're doing, you have to be experienced. You can't just say, 'I'm an actress in 'Scott & Bailey,' I'm going to write an episode.'

I don't know about you, but I certainly feel so battered by seeing people wearing masks. It's all we hear, all we talk about, so that actually when you watch TV, the last thing you want to see all the time is people wearing masks.

To some extent I'm always looking to see where I belong.

You know when actors are very shy and self-effacing? Well, I really love it when people like my work, but I'm also really embarrassed about it. It's strange. And a bit pathetic really.

Learning lines is bloody boring.

It's very important to do things that you believe in - if you're bored by what you do, try something else.

I've worked with Gemma Jones before, so the opportunity to re-connect with her, and for us to play mother and daughter, was superb.

If drama school was like doing a BA, coming to the Court was like an MA or a PhD.

Well, I live in the U.K. in 2017 and I'm like every woman in this country who flips through supplements and magazines - I'm bombarded with pictures of so-called perfection.

I think what's fabulous about 'Living the Dream' is that accidents happen to them and they've got dramas and pitfalls to get through, but they do it as a united pair.

The thing that gives me most pleasure is when I feel I've really engaged with my colleagues, other like-minded individuals, in getting something to work, and that I'm part of something.

I think culture and art tell you what the soul of a nation is, and if we continue to chip away at the arts we are actually chipping away at our collective soul.

I think as a police officer when you're dealing with a member of the public you put something on because you have to appear to be this person who knows what they're talking about, and of course you're also trying to figure out the Rubik's cube of why people behave in the way that they do.

Being northern is fantastic but the positive associations I have - about being from a hard-working, funny and friendly community - aren't always portrayed in that way.

I've been so grateful for writing, and writers and, actually I would say that that is the cornerstone of my career, the writing. That's the truth of the work that I've done in theatre and it's definitely the case for the work that I've been lucky enough to do on screen.

'Scott and Bailey' was very much forensically interested in the ins and outs of the way they went about cracking a case from the point of something happening to how they managed to arrest someone.

And whether or not you're interested in opera or classical music or folk music or the theatre, I think that for a nation's health and well-being it's very important that the arts scene is supported.

What's brilliant is having the opportunity to come to a piece of work with no preconceptions.

I think there are some people who have those childhoods that are really bad and so what happens is that they find an escape through pretending to be other people.

I desperately wanted to go to drama school and after that I've always been delighted to be offered employment - to view everything that comes my way as a chance to get better.