Christopher Eccleston has accused television executives of thinking audiences are “stupid” and making “hateful assumptions” about viewers’ intelligence. The Salford-born actor, known for roles in Doctor Who and Our Friends in the North, shared his views in a new interview with Radio Times.
Speaking ahead of the release of the Netflix drama Unchosen on 21 April, in which he plays a cult leader, Eccleston reflected on the erosion of writer-driven television. He said: “With the erosion of the writer’s culture to almost writing by committee, I’ve heard stories about some of the idiotic – and sometimes downright hateful – assumptions about the audience’s intelligence today.”
Eccleston contrasted modern programming with the shows of his youth, citing Plays for Today and The Naked Civil Servant as examples where he felt respected. He added: “A lot of people in television think the audience is stupid.”
The actor also commented on the decline of “state-of-the-nation” dramas, though he praised Netflix’s four-part series Adolescence as a modern exception. Referring to his own work in Jimmy McGovern’s Cracker, he said: “If it’s a brilliant performance, it’s for one reason and one reason only: the writing.”
Eccleston’s remarks follow similar criticism from Matt Damon, who claimed in January that Netflix advises writers to reiterate plot points for viewers scrolling on their phones. Netflix denied this, with chief content officer Bela Bajaria calling the suggestion “offensive to creators and filmmakers” and affirming that the company knows “how savvy the audiences are”.
