Ian McEwan

In a special edition recorded at the BFI London Film Festival, Francine Stock talks to Ian McEwan about his screen work - the films he's adapted, the movies made from his novels, the Hollywood thrillers he's penned, and the ones that got away.The author of Atonement and On Chesil Beach reveals why he prefers to leave film-makers to do what they want with his novels and why the worst thing is to become the bad conscience of a film set, drifting around, saying "that's not what I meant". And why as an author you're treated as a god, but as a screenwriter you're treated like the cleaning lady.Image: Getty Images.