John Thaw

(On Inspector Morse's famous Jaguar) John: I used to hate driving the thing because steering it was a nightmare!

(in his last interview, he commented on why he cut down on his workload) John: In the last few years I have made a conscious decision to slow down and I've not worked for a couple of months, quite deliberately. I've been called a workaholic in the past. But now I can think of many pleasant ways of spending retirement - lots of reading and walking, going to concerts, shows, and operas; sitting in the sun and long, leisurely lunches. I can think of lots of nice things to do.

(on the difficulty of audtioning for RADA) John: Even a few years before I tried to get in, I wouldn't have made it. Albert Finney and O'Toole were there before me, breaking the mould of the 'anyone for tennis?' actors, but I was still working- class and northern. I had the wrong clothes, I was dressed like a teddy boy and most of them were scared of me. I felt dreadfully out of place and have since never wholly mastered the inferiority complex. That insecurity stops you getting complacent, but it has also stopped me enjoying my success as much as I should have done.