I watch quite a bit of British television and one thing I’ve noticed is that the actors on British series look a lot more, well, ordinary than those on American television. Take a look at the cast of Lost: mostly hotties and hunks. Now look at John Simm, the lead on BBC cop show Life on Mars. The dude could probably achieve flight with those ears. And Billie Piper, who played Rose on Doctor Who, doesn’t have the waifish figure of most women on American television (I must confess to having something of a crush on Ms. Piper’s character; I figure if she’s willing to hang out with a guy as goofy-looking as Christopher Eccleston, then there’s hope for me). It pains me to say this, but I can’t imagine any of these people getting much screen time Stateside. To be an American TV star, a certain kind of physical attractiveness is a prerequisite. If pop culture ever does produce an A-list TV star with a visible disability, I’m betting he/she will come out of the UK.
a while back i was watching a showing of “My Fair Lady” on the BBC station. In between they would show commercials, one of the commercials was for a program called “The Office” (wasn’t big at the time, just started airing on the BBC). Keep in mind”My Fair Lady” is three hours long. every time a commercial came on it would show a little humorous clip from “The Office”. The first time I saw it I didn’t get the lingo or the humor, but by the second hour of the same clip from “The Office”, I was laughing hysterical, I finally got it!
Oh, and you can’t help but love Benny Hill!