Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who) recently spoke out against inequality in the British acting community.
Although this wasn't the first time Eccleston has mentioned the British class system (and even hinted that this is why he left the popular science fiction series after just one season), Eccleston recently gave an interview pointing out that actors like him, with a working-class background, have trouble finding jobs.
Eccleston told Radio Times magazine that he was growing more concerned that the British acting community, particularly in television and film, was hiring mostly actors from privileged backgrounds.
"British society has always been based on inequality, particularly culturally," says Eccleston. "I've lived with it, but it's much more pronounced now, and it would be difficult for someone like me to come through."
On Doctor Who, Eccleston insisted that the Doctor have a working-class Northern accent, because according to the Doctor, "all planets have a north." Although never confirmed, this was just one of many disagreements Eccleston had with the producers of the series and part of why he left after just one season.
Interviews with Eccleston often hint at the fact that the culture of working with the BBC did not coincide with the working-class background that he came from.
"I left because of politics," Eccleston told the Bad Wilf podcast in 2011. "I did not see eye-to-eye with them. I didn't agree with the way things were being run. I didn't like the culture that had grown up around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle."
The actor, who has remained outspoken about Britain's class system, also spoke out against discrimination in the acting industry against women and people of color, stating that TV and film wasn't doing enough writing for either group.
Eccleston isn't alone in his complaints. Harry Potter's Julie Walters, The Walking Dead's David Morrissey (who also did a quick stint as the Doctor in a Doctor Who Christmas special) and Call the Midwife's Stephen McGann agree that there aren't enough young actors in Britain that come from less-privileged backgrounds.
In the Radio Times interview, Eccleston, however, remembers his time as the Doctor fondly and hopes that people will remember his performance. He states that he has no "ill feeling" towards the character, but does not currently watch the show.
Most Doctor Who fans will certainly remember Eccleston's turn as the quirky and very alien take on the Doctor, and most agree that it was his depiction of the character that guaranteed the show's worldwide success.
Eccleston currently stars in Britain drama Safe House.
[Photo Credit: BBC]
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