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I don't like class distinction, and there is far too much of that in England.

Everything is about class in England, whether it's upper, lower or middle. Why should that be?

In the U.K., there is a sort of obsession with class.

I believe that Britain is becoming more class-conscious, and I quake at the very idea of Old Etonians ruling the world again.

The Sixties was a time of breaking down class barriers, although I think class still exists today in some areas.

The hierarchy of class in London was rigid. It was like a religion. It still is to a certain extent.

It's quite an interesting time, the '20s, because the politics of England were changing quite a lot, and the class structure was starting to shift a little.

The working class of England today have no vision of society beyond the acquisitive - no version of themselves or their habits as anything other than transitional, on their way up or on their way out. The working class, at best, is a waiting room for people who aim to become middle class if possible.

England is strictly class-based. What's surprising is how many films are still made with a load of people in silly frocks running around gardens and talking in middle-class accents.

In Britain, by contrast, we still think that class plays a part in determining a person's life chances, so we're less inclined to celebrate success and less inclined to condemn failure. The upshot is that it's much easier to be a failure in Britain than it is in America.