Actor’s life is hardest for Tennant
● Scottish star’s ‘prolific’ roles win him top billing
David Tennant has been crowned the UK’S hardestworking actor in a study of 100 television and film stars.
The Bathgate-born former Doctor Who favourite and broad church co-star Olivia Colman were named the most prolific male and female British acting talent in 2019, followed by Martin Clunes and Sir David Jason.
It’s a precarious profession where many of its members are known to spend many months “resting” – working in bars and shops – while waiting for that all-important call from their agent.
But Scottish actor David Tennant, 48, who starred in toprating shows as diverse as Doctor Who and Broadchurch as well as the blockbuster movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), is leading the charge after being crowned the hardest working actor in Britain.
A new study of 100 British actors, released today, reveals the actor, born in Bathgate, West Lothian, as the most “connected” actor working today.
In second and third places are Martin Clunes and Sir David Jason
The top female actor, in fourth place on the list, is revealed as Olivia Colman, who has taken over as the Queen in the third series of The Crown.
Colman won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Anne in the movie The Favourite and has starred in comedies such as Rev and Peep Show.
In 2015, Colman, who won a Bafta for best female actor in ITV’S murder mystery Broadchurch, admitted afterwards she struggled to find work.
“After I finished the second series of Broadchurch, nothing came up for six months, which really is a long time and I got a bit panicky.”
Dame Helen Mirren and Martin Clunes are named as the most versatile actress and actor having each appeared in 26 different genres,
Dame Helen also tops the list for most awarded – with 124 awards and a further 125 nominations.
Sean Bean, who starred as a veteran and pacifist in World on Fire, the BBC One Second World War drama, is cited as the most likely actor to die onscreen, closely followed by Idris Elba.
While not the most prolific actors, Bean and Jason have most star power (based on how many of their appearances give them top billing), highlighting that Bean has been the top name in 40 of his 58 feature films, while Jason
“After I finished the second series of Broadchurch, nothing came up for six months, which really is long time andi got a bit panicky”
OLIVIA COLMAN
Star of The Crown
has been given star billing in 41 per cent of his TV productions.
The study analysed a shortlist of 100 of the top British current actors to reach a top 20 list of hardest-working and most high-profile TV and film stars.
The shortlist was determined by identifying actors and actresses at the top of their game, looking at those who have either won or been nominated for a Bafta or National Television Award (NTA) in the last decade.
The shortlist was then analysed on 11 key variables, including versatility in acting genres through to star billings and number of film and TV appearances – as well as number of leading and supporting roles.
The research, led by statistician Dr Geoff Ellis, was commissioned to mark the launch of Britbox, a new streaming service which presents content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Reemah Sakaan, group director ITV SVOD, said: “The British TV and film industry includes some of the best actors working today, and we’re thrilled to bring so much of this fantastic content together on Britbox for fans to enjoy.
“This list highlights a small selection of the top talent in the UK and we’re excited that our fans can enjoy many of the actors’ much-loved classics and more recent work on the service.”