Brian Cox thinks the British monarchy should be abolished when Queen Elizabeth dies

He said: "I think the Queen is an amazing woman, and what she has done is incredible. But when she's gone, the whole bloody shooting match should go, I really think so. We won't end this feudal hold on our culture and system until then."

The 73-year-old star thinks the queen's grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - who recently stepped down from royal duties - have been "driven out" of the UK by unwanted attention and thinks it's "horrible".

He told ES magazine: "They [some sections of the media] have forced Meghan and Harry to quit the country. Let's not beat about the bush -- they have driven them out, and yes, I have no doubt at all, some of it is racist. It's horrible what has happened to them."

Brian also expressed his frustration that acting and the arts no longer seems as accessible to children of less wealthy parents than when he was beginning his career.

He said: "I knew I wanted to be an actor from the age of two, when I stood on a box and danced and sang for the family. And when I first came to London, I had a grant.

"So many in that generation had grants to train as actors, to travel, and then you had great working-class writers, too. David Storey, Alan Bennett, Alan Sillitoe; you had Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Richard Harris, fantastic actors. I remember seeing Albert Finney in 'Saturday Night And Sunday Morning', and thinking, 'That is the kind of thing I am going to do.' And I could, and I did.

"I never became a luvvie. I can look back on my career and think I did a lot of what I set out to do.

"But kids starting out today, it's back to who you know and have your parents got money. Feudal. F***ing feudal."