Christopher Eccleston defends playing Jewish character Fagin in ‘Oliver Twist’ spin-off
Oliver Twist spin-off series.Eccleston, known for playing the titular role in Russell T. Davies’ 2005 reboot of the classic series, Doctor Who, also played the pickpocketing gang leader in Dodger, a children’s series made for CBBC.The actor, aged 59, has faced criticism for the role due to the character’s repeated description as ‘the Jew’ in the original Charles Dickens text.In an interview with The Guardian, Eccleston shared that when the casting was announced, debate started over whether it was right for a non-Jewish actor like him to play the role.He shared in the interview that in his experience, at least one Jewish actor “noted they didn’t object to non-Jewish people playing Jewish roles, [they would] just like it to be spoken about.“Which I completely agree with.