Actor Steven Berkoff has accused the BBC of broadcasting "garbage".
The Tourist actor, 76, known for his stage roles, said that he was inspired and educated by BBC shows when he was younger.
Interviewed in Edinburgh by broadcaster Johnnie Walker, he criticised the "decay of art" in the BBC and theatre and said that the corporation should not be competing with ITV.
"Last year, I was trying to watch the BBC on Saturday night," he said.
"They had Strictly Come Dancing and Bruce Forsyth. And I watched almost with tears because I remembered when I was 17, 18 I used to see Hamlet and Death Of A Salesman on a Saturday night. That educated me."
He criticised BBC series Luther and said ITV's Downton Abbey was "a lot of silly old tarts in costume", adding: "It says nothing to us."
Berkoff also attacked the salaries paid to BBC bosses and called Twitter a "cringing banality".
He also accused some Hollywood stars of not wanting to work in the theatre for fear of drying up on stage.
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