Words of the week

I RUN the country not you. – What Margaret Thatcher told Buckingham Palace when Prince Charles started meddling in politics.

THERESA May? She’s the person you only go to lunch with once. – Jeremy Paxman.

ANYTHING is possible when Scotland wins the Grand National. – Pro-independence Alex Salmond after One For Arthur’s Aintree win.

I’D quite like to play James Bond. Not Jane Bond - James. If I can be called Bill, I can be called James, can’t I? – Actress Pearl Mackie, who plays Doctor Who’s new companion Bill Potts.

IT was like turning up and just working on a cracking new piece of writing, except with lots of toys to play with. – Actor Jamie Parker, who plays Harry Potter in the new award-winning play about the boy wizard.

IF you look at poor children now, they are not thin, they are overweight. That is because of poor eating, because of bad eating habits. Part of your education ought to be teaching you about, you know, how you can grow a carrot. – Emily Thornberry, Shadow Foreign Secretary.

I’VE not been called a racist name since I was at secondary modern school. I was literally in shock. I couldn’t breathe. – Entertainer Sir Lenny Henry after hearing ‘racist’ talk on a train.

BASICALLY, one can only advise the Europeans one thing - forget Great Britain and take care of your own interests. – Labour peer Lord Mandelson’s message to the EU.

I HAVE never gone on a date and said ‘Oh, I am a national treasure’. – TV’s Michael Palin.

OCCASIONALLY I’ve been asked to do American roles, and once or twice I have, but I don’t understand Americans. I don’t have any real feeling for American culture. – Actor Jim Broadbent.

THEY’RE going to have to call it Morse Code. Bleep bleep bleep!

– TV chef Gordon Ramsay when asked about swearing during his forthcoming daytime TV show.

THESE are the most enjoyable scripts I’ve been sent in the last 100 years.–Actor John Cleese, who is to star in a new TV sitcom called Edith.