Actor Ken Stott has attacked the state of modern television.

The Edinburgh-born star - who has been back on screens in BBC1's The ­Missing - said he was in "despair" and grumbled about the overuse of special effects, which he said prompts him to turn off programmes.

In an interview for the Radio Times, he said: "We are in trouble in Britain. The warning signs were obvious some years ago that we are no longer leaders - we are followers in most aspects of broadcasting.

"I despair. In every area we seem to have thrown everything away and embraced reality television.

"It is nauseating, programme after programme. How to trick somebody into buying your house, followed by how to trick somebody into doing up your house, into how to trick somebody into not doing up your house, and what to cook while you are doing it.

"I like documentaries, for example about climbing Everest, but we do not do that any more. The new documentary that we watch is how to make a blancmange."

To hammer home the point, he said that reality television "could drop off the side of a cliff and we would all be better off for it".

The 60-year-old was also dismissive of the overuse of glossy high-tech effects on shows, telling the ­magazine: "As with all new toys, we play with them too much. Whenever I see pointless use of special effects, I reach for something else."

Stott - who supported independence - voiced ­criticism of the BBC for its coverage of the referendum, saying the corporation was a "mouthpiece for the establishment".

He said: "The BBC were pretty disgusting throughout it. You only have to look at the time given to the candidates, you only have to look at the fact that in the majority of cases the last word was given to a No campaigner. The BBC backed that."