If the arts are held up solely as a means of social insight, fantasy is denied the chance to be commonplace and reality the chance to be exotic.

Most recently he directed Notes on a Scandal the film adaptation of the Man Booker Prize-nominated novel by Zoë Heller and in 2008 The Other Man an adaptation of a short story by Bernhard Schlink starring Liam Neeson Antonio Banderas and Laura Linney. Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE (born 28 March 1943) is an English film theatre television and opera director. Eyre was appointed to the Board of Governors of the BBC in November 1995 and in October 2000 was appointed for a second term of office though he resigned early (with effect from 31 May 2003) due to theatre and film directing commitments.

Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE (born 28 March 1943) is an English film theatre television and opera director.