United Kingdom, July 2 -- Idris Elba has insisted he will never watch The Wire.

The 52-year-old actor had his breakout US role was criminal Russell 'Stringer' Bell on the first three seasons of the hit HBO drama from 2002 to 2004, but he has admitted he never took the time to tune in "as a fan".

He told Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast: "If I'm really honest, like, I didn't watch The Wire.

"And I feel bad. It's not that I'm not a fan of it. I was there. I made a show that was, you know, was so intense and so real, so important. "And even though we didn't realise - I didn't realise the importance of the show while making it.

"I didn't participate in its celebration as a viewer, as a fan. And so I feel a little bit outside of the cl...