Vanity Fair star Tom Bateman has said he is not bothered by the ratings war between his drama and BBC political thriller Bodyguard.
The two programmes have been pitted against each other, with the BBC’s tense show beating ITV’s adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel in Sunday’s ratings.
Speaking at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards, where he picked up the breakthrough gong, the actor said: “If brilliant stuff is getting made I don’t mind.
“I haven’t yet seen Bodyguard, I can’t wait to.”
He went on: “I just think if good stuff is being made I love it, it means our industry is thriving.
“If people love that and we are being pitted up against it then I take that as a huge compliment.”
Tom Bateman wins @hugoboss Breakthrough Actor of the Year. #GQ Awards #BossxGQAwards #SuitedbyBoss https://t.co/HhVQSbcvgU pic.twitter.com/HsnnaFGZKd
— British GQ (@BritishGQ) September 5, 2018
Vanity Fair has been criticised by some viewers who said it did not live up to its hype.
Bateman, who plays Rawdon Crawley, said: “It’s divided some camps, but as Oscar Wilde said, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.
“I love that it has created a stir.
“It’s sort of a new take on this piece. I love it, I’m very proud of it.”