It's been four years since "The Full Monty". Have you been looking to follow during all that time?

It was more a case of trying to find the right thing to do. To be honest it was a full-time job being the director of "The Full Monty", lasting longer than it actually took to make the film. I just wanted to make sure the next thing I did was something I really believed in.

What was the inspiration for "Lucky Break"?

A friend of mine told me about a production of "Guys & Dolls" she'd seen at Wormwood Scrubs. There's a company of actors that go around doing this, and she told me it was the most fantastic thing and that the prisoners were great. The idea just kind of sat there until I thought of combining it with an escape attempt.

What made you decide on "Nelson: The Musical"?

We were trying to decide what it could be when Ronan Bennett, our screenwriter, came up with Nelson. We actually checked on the Internet to see whether there had been one before.

And is it true Stephen Fry wrote the lyrics in a weekend?

He's a very talented guy. When we got it, we asked him to go away and come back with a few bad bits, because the first draft was a bit too good.

"Lucky Break" is released in UK cinemas on Friday 24th August 2001.