Disenchanted with audiences in the capital, the actor said that he plans instead to spend the next seven months in Leeds working at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

In an interview with the Independent newspaper Sir Ian complained that there were too few black faces in the audiences at the National Theatre in London. He also said that few people in the audience even seemed to speak English.

The left wing actor said he preferred Leeds because the council had "old socialist principles" and he felt "welcomed into the life of the city".

"I'm going back to rep, with local audiences and a community of actors. These shows will be for the people of Leeds, and we won't be bringing them back to London," he said.