The last of the British movie moguls: Lew Grade - His Life in His Words

"The best deal I ever made was marrying my wife Kathie. The next best deals were Jesus of Nazareth and The Muppet Show - 120 episodes and three movies."

"Jesus of Nazareth came after we'd met the Pope - Kathie [Lord Grade's wife] was overjoyed: we were with him for 30 minutes - and I'd just finished the series on Moses. 'Perhaps you will do Jesus next,' he said. So I did: it is a great story."

"I'm an average person and if I think an act is good then the average person will like it. I started in this business as a dancer and I developed a feeling for acts. When you like people you like show business."

"Creating a TV company which will serve the viewer and make money as well depends on making the right judgement about people and then backing them to the hilt. Money isn't everything, but you won't get far without it."

On hearing Pierce Brosnan had only16 minutes of dialogue in a Bond film: "They should call them something else instead of actors. People today, they don't have to do any acting. Actors are a side-show. The real movie is about car chases and things being blown up."

"There are only three things that count in life. One is your family. Two is your health and three is relationships. The rest doesn't matter. Money is unimportant as long as you have enough to keep your family contented."

Asked what his epitaph would be: "It will be 'I didn't want to go. And I'm not going'."