Christopher Hampton

I'm ashamed to say the first play I saw at the Royal Court was mine.

Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp-post what it feels about dogs.

To seduce a woman famous for strict morals, religious fervor and the happiness of her marriage: what could possibly be more prestigious?

Another thing that freaks me out is time. Time is like a book. You have a beginning, a middle and an end. It's just a cycle.

I'm a big action junkie. I grew up on the '80s action movies - the bad ones and the good ones.

But we need to show that the EU can modernise itself, can adapt to the needs of its citizens, can take their views into account. That will be our ambition for the UK Presidency.