Sir Michael Caine

One of England's best-recognised screen actors, he made his name in some of the finest films of the 1960s.

After a handful of minor roles, his first major success came with Zulu in 1964.

Roles such as the playboy Alfie made him a household name - and in 1969 he starred in the classic comedy heist movie, The Italian job.

Nearly 40 years on, Sir Michael has taken on another heist movie. It's called Flawless - and it co-stars Demi Moore as an American businesswoman who wants to pull off the perfect robbery.

"It's a heist movie only in a minor sense. It's really about relationships," he told us.

"I play a night cleaner who gets involved - but not in a romantic sense - with a female executive who has hit the glass ceiling."

Re-makes

One thing the movie won't be is a reprise of his role in the Italian Job, with its mini car chases careering down the steps of Rome's oldest buildings. He's not keen on re-makes of successful films, he told Susannah.

"I think you should re-make unsuccesful pictures - if you make a re-make of a successful movie, you've got so much to live up to"

He also firmly squashed speculation that he might one day appear in Eastenders

"I read that in the paper," he laughs "Where do they come from. these stories?

I've never seen Eastenders: it's a series and I'm not in the country enough to see a series," he told us.

"I'm a movie actor - I have done TV, but it was very specific TV."

Although he's in his early seventies, he shows no signs of slowing up.

"You don't retire from this business, it retires you," he told Susannah. "Suddenly, there's no scripts or no money - and you're gone."