Idris Elba has said “good old Prince Charles” helped him get his big break as he made a speech in Parliament about diversity in television.

The star, known for his roles in Luther and The Wire, spoke about the importance of the creative industries to the British economy and called for “imagination” and “diversity of thought”.

Idris Elba in LutherIdris Elba in Luther (Steffan Hill/PA)

 

He touched upon skin colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and social background in a speech that lasted about 30 minutes and was full of witty remarks that drew laughs from the packed committee room in Westminster.

“The Britain I come from is the most successful, diverse, multicultural country on the earth.

“But here’s my point: you wouldn’t know it if you turned on the TV. So many of our creative decision-makers share the same background,” he said.

Speaking about his own path to stardom, the 43-year-old actor said: “I’m a product of my imagination.

Idris Elba and models at the launch party of Idris's Superdry menswear collectionIdris Elba and models at the launch party of Idris’s Superdry menswear collection (Ian West/PA)

 

“Made in Hackney. Made in Newham. Made in Dagenham. But above all, I was made in my mind: I’m seeing it, thinking it, doing it.”

Idris said he used to fit tyres and now he makes films in Hollywood. “And the difference between those two lives is opportunity.

“By the way, I got my tyre-fitting job through the Youth Training Scheme,” he said.

The star added: “Before that, for a while I went to a disabled school because I had severe asthma.

“I finally got my first break in the creative industries from the Prince’s Trust. Yes, good old Prince Charles came in there.”

He said he was helped on his way into working in theatre, and from there TV and film.

“The Prince’s Trust subsidised one of my first jobs with the National Music Youth Theatre. They gave me £1,500, because my parents didn’t have enough money.

“There were hardly any black kids, because none of us could afford it.

“And although back then I didn’t get to meet Prince Charles, we had one thing in common. We both fell into the same line of work as our parents did.

“It’s true. My dad worked in a car factory, so before I could get any work as an actor, I ended up doing night shifts at Dagenham.

Idris Elba as LutherIdris Elba as Luther (Steffan Hill/BBC)

 

“In fact Ford Dagenham had more opportunity and diversity than the TV industry I was trying to break into,” he said.

He was speaking on the eve of a major TV industry conference on diversity.

The crowd also heard from Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham about what the channel achieved in 2015 in terms of diversity.