Ridley Scott: this South Shields boy proves the importance of social mobility

Imagine a world without Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma & Louise or Gladiator. At least in the influential, iconic and culture-defining form that those films achieved.

It's a horrifying thought for any self-respecting cinephile. Yet had Sir Ridley Scott been born into 21st century Britain, it's possible he would never have had the chance to make such influential, iconic and culture-defining movies.

At last night's BAFTA Awards, Sir Ridley was awarded a prestigious Fellowship for his memorable work over more than four decades in the business.

But as he himself noted, this working class boy from South Shields would likely not have had the same opportunities today.

'Art school was a revelation'

"Years ago, when I was 15...I was 29th out of 29. I achieved the distinction of being bottom of the class."

The early minutes of Scott's speech last night were dominated by his ruminations on academic struggles as a teenager. And how he found his potential elsewhere.

Despite trying his hardest, he was bottom of the class four years in a row at his secondary modern school in a distinctly working class corner of the country.

But Scott had an aptitude for "working with his hands", and he was accepted into art college at Hartlepool with just one GCE. Something, he pointedly notes, that would be all but impossible now.

"Art school was a revelation" he added, with "passionate teachers who were genuinely interested in the students". Those teachers inspired him. And that opportunity set him on the path to becoming the illustrious filmmaker he became.

A postcode lottery

Kenneth Branagh, who introduced Scott's award, may seem posh now. But he himself is from a distinctly working class background - and a product of the Progress Theatre in Reading (now a registered charity).

Daniel Kaluuya, nominated for Best Actor and triumphant as the night's 'Rising Star', grew up on a council estate in Camden, North London. In his own speech, he praised UK arts funding, and the work of grass roots organisations like Anna Scher theatre - which has helped bring numerous actors from low-income backgrounds to the fore over the last few decades.

Arts funding, as many will know, has been somewhat under threat throughout the UK in recent years. Another victim of austerity.

We live in a time where higher education is prohibitively priced, where social mobility in the UK is starkly described by official reports as a 'postcode lottery', and where industries like the arts are increasingly dominated by those from affluent, privileged backgrounds.

Posh people can, of course, make great actors and filmmakers. But having the opportunity to fulfill your talents, regardless of where you come from, is vitally important - as Scott himself demonstrates.

The concern that the next Sir Ridley could be prevented from fulfilling their potential, purely due to their educational and economic background, is very real. And that is a tremendous shame.