Christopher Eccleston Speaks Up Against Class, Gender, Racial Inequality In Showbiz, Talks ‘Doctor Who’ Accent

Former “Doctor Who” star Christopher Eccleston is speaking up against class, gender and racial biases in show business. While the 51-year-old English actor couldn’t blame his wealthy colleagues, such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne, from taking advantage of opportunities, he expressed his disappointed over how the industry is becoming a “milky, anodyne culture.” He also briefly opened up about starring in the BBC series, which he left after just one season.

Talking to Radio Times magazine, Eccleston said the British showbiz industry is being dominated by actors with privileged backgrounds. As someone from the working class, he admitted he still feels insecure, thinking that acting wasn’t for him just because he wasn’t educated.

“I was a skinny, awkward-looking bugger with an accent, as I still am,” he said. “British society has always been based on inequality, particularly culturally. I’ve lived with it, but it’s much more pronounced now, and it would be difficult for someone like me to come through.”

He wasn’t blaming those who came from money, but the problem, he thought, is undeniable. “You can’t blame Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch and other taking their opportunities but it will lead to a milky, anodyne culture. To an extent, that’s already happened.” He added he is aware of the “predominance of white, male roles” although he doesn’t watch a lot of film or television dramas.

And it’s not just about the classes. “There’s not enough writing for women or people of colour,” he griped. He expressed his frustration as well with all those all-male Shakespearean productions that are constantly being produced. Although those are “wonderful intellectual exercise,” such are putting women out of work.

Eccleston landed the role of a lifetime when he became “Doctor Who” in 2005. However, he left after just one season because he “didn’t enjoy the environment and the culture that the cast and crew had to work in.” Nevertheless, he made a mark as the Ninth Doctor, which he played with his own Greater Manchester accent. He explained that he wanted to move away from Received Pronunciation, regarded as the standard accent of UK English, because people shouldn’t associate accent with intellect.

As for his time as the Doctor, he hopes he will be remembered as one of the Doctors. “I have no ill feeling towards the character or the series,” he told the magazine, but he doesn’t watch the show anymore and didn’t want to discuss it because he wanted to discuss his new drama “Safe House.”

“Safe House” is a new four-parter series in the UK that will launch on April 20. Eccleston stars as a retired detective who has turned his home into a safe house for people at risk.

To contact the writer, please email a.lu@ibtimes.com.au.