ACTOR and former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston condemned yesterday the dire lack of opportunities for children from poor backgrounds to break into the acting world.

Mr Eccleston, who played the ninth doctor when the programme was successfully revived in 2005, told Readers Digest: “Acting was a huge escape for me. But nowadays, if you’re from my background, the door is almost shut.

“All the classical roles in London’s West End go to white, middle-class males and we get a culture that is resultantly bland. To be honest, I find it very disturbing.”

Born into a working-class family in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 1964, Mr Eccleston did various odd jobs, including in a supermarket and on building sites, before his acting career took off.

Since then, he has starred in cult-classic thriller Shallow Grave and Jimmy McGovern’s Hillsborough.

He will soon feature in Legend, a biopic of the Kray twins.