First person

Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh: 71, film-maker

Profound truth number one: I don’t make films by myself. It is all collaborative.

When I was 14, I could have told you all about Picasso, Georges Braque, the Impressionists. Turner to me was chocolate boxes and biscuit tins. When I was at Camberwell Art School in the early 60s I discovered him and my fascination grew from there.

When we were making Topsy-Turvy in 1998, Turner came back into my head. I was struck by the tension between this eccentric, conflicted, passionate man and his sublime and profound talent. He’s the perfect character for a Mike Leigh film.