ACTOR Christopher Eccleston has spoken of class prejudice' when it came to Shakespearean roles as he won good reviews of his portrayal of Macbeth in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of the great tragedy.

The actor, who grew up in Little Hulton, gave a "perfectly creditable' performance according to the Guardian and was 'engaging' by The Stage.

Now Eccleston has spoken about being overlooked for the television film adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays because "there's an assumption being made there about my accent, and my background".

Eccleston, 54, said: "When the BBC did The Hollow Crown series it was a huge investment in Shakespeare on the television.

"Now, without sounding arrogant, I'm a high-profile actor and I didn't get a call. Didn't get an audition.

"There's an assumption being made there about my accent, and my background. Or did they think I'm a crap actor?"

He continued: "What was the social background of the people who got all the lead roles in that BBC Shakespeare? What schools did they go to and why didn't somebody like myself get offered a lead?

Eccleston, who gave an interview with the Radio Times, recently claimed he was blacklisted by the BBC when he quit as Doctor Who after one series.

He has now said his relationship with his three immediate superiors "broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered".