Remus Lupin vs Doctor Who? Lancashire actor David Thewlis 'strangled' by Christopher Eccleston

60-year-old actor David Thewlis, of Harry Potter and Wonder Woman fame, has shared a rather interesting image of himself alongside former Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston, 59.

Taking to his Instagram page, Blackpool born David shared with his 352k followers an image of Chris pretending to strangle him in a pub as he looks away in fear.

Why are the pair posing like that?

In his Instagram caption, David explained the tense moment was courtesy of a rivalry between the actors as both men have played the iconic Oliver Twist character 'Fagin' in various shows.

Former Highfield High School pupil David wrote: "@christophereccleston who plays Fagin in Dodger has just found out that I play Fagin in The Artful Dodger. Mine is out in UK and Europe Jan 17, @disneyplus @disneyplusuk and already streaming in Australia and US on @disneyplusau and @hulu. I don’t know when Eccleston’s show is on so I can’t tell you, but that’s ok, it doesn’t really matter."

In the comments, Chris then wrote: "Christoper Eccleston is innoncent, Thewlis rides the devil."

Did Christopher have anything else to say about it?

Christopher shared two more images from the meet-up himself on Instagram and suggested that the joking strangulation is for more than just the role or Fagin, but rather that the pair have been too closely linked for a while now...

Chris' first image, which shows the pair posing naturally, is captioned: "Here’s me with my “active stalker” Christopher Eccleston who is playing Ebenezer Scrooge because I turned it down."

Implying that David instead has hacked into Chris' Instagram account, the above is referring to Chris' current stint as Ebenezer Scrooge in The Old Vic's production of A Christmas Carol, running between November 11 2023 to January 6 2024.

The second image then shows Chris holding David's neck and bears the caption: "I’m at the police station giving my statement. Eccleston overstepped his mark. I have to press charges. I need him to stop sleeping in my garden." Chris commented under his own post to add: "Dear Chris, Please be aware that David Thewlis is pretending to be you on Instagram and at auditions. It’s been going on for 40 years. Chris."

Is the fued new?

The joking rivalry between David and Chris has actually been going on for a few years now and has blossomed into a friendship.

When The Guardian in 2021 asked why the fake feud began, David replied: "We’re contemporaries – both northern, working-class actors who get a certain kind of role. There’s been times we’ve been up against each other for parts, so it’s all based on that. Then I read his memoir about his father, I Love the Bones of You, and really identified with it. He described one childhood memory of his dad rubbing his whiskers against him and calling it “silly half-hour”. My dad did exactly the same. I adored Chris for that, messaged him and it escalated from there."