Sheila Hancock: I don’t care if an actor is posh

Julie Walters added weight to Chris Bryant’s claim that British culture is dominated by the upper classes when she said that there are very few opportunities for working class actors today. Walter’s fellow actress Sheila Hancock, however, thinks it’s not worth getting her knickers in a twist about.

‘Are there a lot of posh actors? Yes. Are there more important things going on in this country? Yes,’ the actress told Mr S at the Political Book Awards.

‘I think the point Julie was making is that its the lack of government grants that existed when we were younger which no longer exist, which means often only the rich go to drama school. But I, in truth, do not really care whether an actor is ‘posh’ if you want to call them that, or working class. There are a lot bigger things going on at the moment, so that’s what I’ll spend my time thinking about.