Smith: "I think that every artistic venture is a risk, and it has to be that way, so you do as much preparation as you can and make that as thorough as you can possibly make it, until you turn up on set. It's about taking risks, and some might work and some might not, but that's what makes it interesting."

Smith: "Any actor worth his salt has a responsibility to reinvent himself from part to part."

Smith: "There are great disciplines from being a sportsman that you can transfer into being an artist. The preparation, the sacrifice, the constant desire to improve."

Smith: "As we get older - perhaps I'm just speaking for myself - we can get too cynical."

Smith: "I think there's an interesting contradiction of having a young face and an old soul. There's something funny about it, and it also allows you to reinvent being old."

Smith: "I'm not handsome enough to be James Bond. Maybe a villain, though."

Smith: "If I see a spider in the flat, I try to get a cup and a piece of paper and throw it out of the window. I can't kill them because they're good for catching flies."

Smith: "I always steal a pair of socks on every photo shoot I do. It's my thing."

Smith: "So many more people recognise you and want to take up a moment of your time for a photo or a hello. You try to deal with it with grace and a degree of humour, because what's the alternative?"

Smith: "I am terribly clumsy, so there is a plethora of walking into lamp-posts, falling over, dropping things, and ruining sofas."

Smith: "Sometimes when you lose your mobile phone, even though it's frustrating, it's sort of rewarding in many ways because, though we do rely on them a lot, we are not reliant on them. The world continues without."

Smith: "Even now, I'm very superstitious, in silly ways. I always put my left boot on first. Or on set, I always tie my bow tie from right to left."

Smith: "If you want to give it a good go, you've got to make some sacrifices and be as dedicated as you can be. Particularly with 'Doctor Who.' It's two or three hours of line-learning a night."

Smith: "I am a terrible sleeper."

Smith: "I quite like the idea of family. That's probably the greatest achievement in the world. I've got a lot to achieve workwise - I'd love to direct - but family would be good."