She said she thought the event was "wonderful", adding that when she won her Oscar she did not have the chance to meet the other winners in the same year.

Asked about the secret to her success and that of other British talent, she joked: "It's called good luck.

"We have good training and we've got incredible young people who are trained in everything, they can dance and sing and act on the stage."

Sir Michael also raised concerns about the generation of young actors coming through the ranks.

He said: "These days they just say I'm going to be an actor because I want to be rich and famous. And then they do a little part on television and everyone knows who they are. They can't really act.

"I knew I wasn't going to be rich, I knew I wasn't going to be famous, I knew I wasn't going to be a movie star, I just wanted to be a good actor, that's all."

Sir Michael is one of just two actors - the other being Jack Nicholson - to have been nominated for an Oscar in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s.