Stephen Graham angry at 'Street' axe

Actor Stephen Graham has said that British TV should invest in quality drama rather than "dancing" shows.

The Public Enemies star revealed that he was "gutted" about the demise of Jimmy McGovern's The Street, which aired on the BBC between 2006 and 2009.

"You can't take money away from great drama like that and put it into people dancing," he told the BBC. "I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything, it's my job and I'm very passionate about it.

"You shouldn't take money away from a screen where we make great drama and watch people spinning around in a ballroom."

He added: "That's why actors like me are going over [to America]. It's a shame. Where are writers like Jimmy [McGovern] going to be able to show their work? Where are we supposed to do our good drama?

"Stephen is entitled to his own views," a BBC spokesman said. "However, the BBC makes more drama than any other channel in the UK and the budget for drama is considerably bigger than that for entertainment."

McGovern confirmed earlier this year that The Street would not be returning for a fourth series, blaming cutbacks at ITV Studios in Manchester.