Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston fronts anti gambling campaign urging UK to restrict advertising
British actor Christopher Eccleston has lent his voice to the growing movement calling for an end to gambling advertising in the UK, weaving in subtle nods to Doctor Who along the way.
The 61-year-old appears in a new public service short film titled Stacking the Deck, produced by the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), which urges the government to act on mounting evidence and impose tighter restrictions on gambling promotion.
Christopher Eccleston calls for crackdown on gambling ads
https://twitter.com/EndGamblingAds/status/2004512066657513803/
In the film, Eccleston sets out to examine the UK’s gambling laws and advertising culture, exploring how marketing tactics contribute to addiction. The project frames this investigation as a quest to create the ultimate anti-advertisement.
The documentary features testimony from specialists and from people directly affected by gambling harm, including campaigner Annie Ashton. Her husband died by suicide in 2021 after struggling with a hidden gambling addiction. Ashton states: “There is no hard messaging around the fact that actually this is a disorder and this can also cause a suicide. I mean where is that messaging?”
Gambling ads designed ‘to appeal to a lookalike audience’
Later, the 28 Days Later actor speaks with Joe Wade, CEO of ethical advertising agency Don’t Panic, who explains how gambling brands deliberately use familiarity and relatability to attract audiences.
“There are either the sporting ones, which are generally around football. It tends to be a white working-class person fronting it,” Wade says, with Eccleston acknowledging that he himself “fits into that” archetype.
“It’s to appeal to a lookalike audience,” Wade adds.
Wade also contrasts this with more polished, high-status gambling adverts, often fronted by major celebrities such as Chris Rock. Eccleston dryly responds: “He needs the money, he really needs the money.”
The 15-minute film concludes with Eccleston performing his own deliberately constructed anti-advert, leaning into the familiar working-class image associated with figures like Danny Dyer, Ray Winstone, and Shaun Williamson.
Wade further explains that alcohol advertising is far more tightly regulated: “You can’t associate alcohol with sport, you can’t show that it makes you more sociable. It doesn’t make you more sexually attractive. You are unable to show alcohol leading to you being more successful or happier. Whereas with gambling ads, you’re allowed to imply all of these things.” He also notes that gambling adverts are not meant to target people under 25.
Christopher Eccleston is such a properly good guy. I'm glad he's bringing attention to gambling advertisement. Gambling is dangerous and addictive, but its way too normalised. There's a reason why Doctor Who fans still love Eccleston. https://t.co/Yz7wXyC1Wc
— Thatt "Duke Nuke" Gladworm (@AtomTents) December 27, 2025
The film closes with Eccleston urging viewers to contact their MPs and push them “to respond to the evidence and urgently start to restrict gambling advertising.”
Following the release of the anti-ad, fans praised the actor for addressing the issue with openness, conviction, and clarity.
Featured image: Coalition to End Gambling Ads via X
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