Former Doctor Who star Peter Davison has hit out at the proliferation of TV channels, saying they have harmed the standard of television.

The actor, who also starred in Seventies classic “All Creatures Great And Small”, said the huge number of stations made it difficult for viewers to find good-quality programmes.

He applauded high-end dramas being made here and in the US but added: “The difference [today] is that there are so many more hours to fill.

“They have to make dramas very cheaply and very quickly. It inevitably shows.

For the viewer, it’s much harder to find something to watch. Sometimes when I look through the 150-odd channels available on my television, I still can’t find anything.”

Davison, 65, spoke ahead of the publication of his autobiography, Is There Life Outside The Box? An Actor Despairs, on October 6.

The actor —who played the fifth Doctor from 1981 to 1984 — is set to begin shooting a new film, Fish Without Bicycles, which is produced by his daughter Georgia Moffett and stars his son-in-law and fellow ex-Time Lord David Tennant.

Davison admitted being cast by his daughter was “slightly bizarre”.