Actor Liam Neeson has called the Government's decision to cut the UK Film Council "a big mistake".

The government announced on Monday it is to abolish the organisation, which has helped fund more than 900 movies since 2000, as part of a raft of public spending cuts.

Speaking at the premiere of his blockbuster film The A-Team in London on Tuesday, Neeson said: "Big mistake, big mistake, big big mistake. It's a blow, it's what it is. I mean people need entertainment. We're living in hard, difficult times and people want to go out and spend two hours in the cinema, daydream a bit. I'm really disappointed in the government to hear that."

Based on the 1980s TV show of the same name about a group of Vietnam war veterans working as mercenaries, the new A-Team has been reworked to tailor the story to modern-day audiences looking for big-budget Hollywood action.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Neeson said the actors' on-screen chemistry had been "very palpable", adding: "It was a joy to go to work every day with these boys."