Andrew Davies quotes

From time to time there is a move to do a little less in the way of period dramas, but people rebel. Audiences say we want them. There is a big hunger for them. I don't think it's sentimentality or nostalgia, it's often that they are simply the best stories. (Andrew Davies)
I adore doing classic adaptations, but I also feel their frustrations and their limitations. View quote
Andrew Davies
Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales. View quote
Andrew Davies
'Othello' is the most domestic of Shakespeare's tragedies and the one that's likely to strike a personal note with a lot of people watching it. View quote
Andrew Davies
'Affinity' is beautiful and intense, with no laughs. It's a rather delicate and emotional love story, with a spooky element. View quote
Andrew Davies
When you see two writers named on a movie, one of them did some drafts and got the boot. View quote
Andrew Davies
One of the things I've always thought is a drag in so many period adaptations is that they are always buttoned up to the neck in so many clothes all the time. I'm always looking for excuses to get them out of their clothes. View quote
Andrew Davies
Novels often have leisurely openings; a TV drama needs an arresting opening. View quote
Andrew Davies
I prefer love scenes to be shot up close with a lot of focus on eyes and mouths. Otherwise it can feel uncomfortable and voyeuristic. View quote
Andrew Davies
Be careful about the advice you give, especially to your children. View quote
Andrew Davies
The most moving scene for me in 'Pride and Prejudice' is the Pemberley music room scene: Elizabeth has just saved Darcy's sister from embarrassment and confusion, and as the music plays on, Darcy's look of gratitude becomes a look of love, which we see reciprocated in Elizabeth's eyes. (Andrew Davies)
I suppose I have the tastes of someone who teaches at a university in the provinces. View quote
Andrew Davies
I know that a ridiculous number of classic serials have been commissioned, and that reviews show a reaction against them. The critics seem fed up. View quote
Andrew Davies
I got quite cross when I heard about Emma Thompson adapting 'Sense and Sensibility.' It was absolutely childish of me, but I thought, 'I should be doing that. They didn't even ask me.' Some mistake, surely. View quote
Andrew Davies
A distinguished producer called Kenith Trodd actually lived in his office for over a year - the cleaners refused to go in because it was such a tip. View quote
Andrew Davies
Most actors hate readthroughs - they're exposing themselves before they're ready to, and before they've bonded. But I love them because they give us all the first inkling of what the whole show is going to be like, how each part affects every other part, and we won't see that again until it's all edited together. View quote
Andrew Davies
The writer in movies is about as low as you can get and you really are a hired hand. You are paid a lot of money to be treated like dirt. View quote
Andrew Davies
The BBC fulfils a wonderful cultural function. Maybe the problem is that it feels it needs to be everything to everybody. View quote
Andrew Davies
Taking the humour out of Dickens, it's not Dickens any more. View quote
Andrew Davies
I always do like to write love stories, even if they end tragically. View quote
Andrew Davies
My wife likes history and documentaries, but I'm not so keen on them. I generally go and do some work if there's one of those on. (Andrew Davies)
People in the BBC are always dying to get out of their open-plan offices. View quote
Andrew Davies
People like bonnets. I don't think you can under-estimate that. View quote
Andrew Davies
Rebecca Eaton has made an enormous contribution to the cultural life of America, and, more than that, she is one of the most fun people I know. View quote
Andrew Davies
I'm not one of these people who say how much better American drama is than English. I find it mostly too American, except for The Sopranos, which I think is the best thing. View quote
Andrew Davies