Doctor Who icon Christopher Eccleston criticises current lack of regional and working class actors such as himself and Jodie Whittaker
"Class is the last area that we can’t talk about in this country."
Doctor Who legend Christopher Eccleston has said there is "absolutely no way" he would get into drama school now, as he brings attention to the declining amount of working class youngsters taking up drama.
In a new Radio 4 programme, Drama in Schools: An Unfolding Tragedy?, Eccleston speaks about his invaluable experiences studying drama – and some of the reasons why working class youngsters today do not have the same opportunities.
From 2010, then-education secretary Michael Gove introduced education reforms including the English Baccalaureate, which deprioritised arts subjects.
Since then, Eccleston pointed out during an interview with The Times, the take-up in GCSE and A-Level drama has halved.
It's something the actor explores in the Radio 4 programme, in which he references his fellow Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, who he starred alongside in Antigone at the National Theatre by saying: “She’s from Huddersfield, I’m from Salford – where are those two in the current climate going to come from?”
Eccleston added to The Times: “Class is the last area that we can’t talk about in this country. I think we need to say we’ve got enough public school, private school, Oxbridge actors. We’ve got more than enough. I’d like to hear more regional accents.”
Now, the 2025 Curriculum Review is removing the English Baccalaureate, with the idea being that subjects like drama are given greater importance, although it won't take effect until 2028.
While Eccleston said the review is "great news", he argued that multiple generations will have missed out on the access to drama that he was afforded.
In his view, the focus on prioritising drama in schools again isn't about finding the next Oscar-winning actor, but turning out well-rounded people who benefit from everything that studying drama has to offer.
Eccleston was born to working class parents in Salford, who were supportive of his pursuit of a career in acting. After receiving a discretionary grant by Salford city council, he was able to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
He's since gone on to take on roles in Let Him Have It, Cracker, Shallow Grave and Our Friends in the North and, of course, in 2005 starred as the Ninth Doctor in Doctor Who, forging a new path for the Time Lord.
Following his role in Doctor Who, he's also starred in Accused, The Leftovers, The A Word, and even appeared in the MCU in Thor: The Dark World. Outside of his work on TV and film, Eccleston is also an accomplished stage actor.
And fighting for working class actors is not new for him. In 2018, Eccleston told Radio Times: “People say I’m obsessed with class. But the whole country is obsessed by class. It’s like, it exists, but you’re not supposed to mention it.”
He added of class snobbery: “I think it exists. I think Gary Oldman is as fine an actor as Daniel Day-Lewis, but Gary is not double-barrelled. You might say Daniel has made better choices, but Gary Oldman’s Oscar was massive to people from my background.”
He went on to say: “My hackles always rise when I go to the National Theatre and the RSC, because I just see a sea of white faces.
"And there are far more white males in our company now than there are people of colour, or women. So, yes, this place has got to have a revolution. No more English Heritage. It’s got to finish.”
Drama in Schools: An Unfolding Tragedy? is on Radio 4 at 4pm on 10th February, then on BBC Sounds.
Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Christmas.
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
