You're a smaller fish in the U.S. There's just so many more TV shows, and actors, and actresses. Where as in the U.K. you're in a much smaller market there.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I don't know why British actors are getting big parts in American TV shows. Maybe it's because we're cheap.
The U.K. and the U.S. are very different countries, and it really shows in the television.
British audiences tend to want to see their own lives reflected on TV, whereas American audiences are quite aspirational and enjoy high-concept shows that show them lives that are perhaps slightly more exciting than they aspire to.
The biggest difference between British TV and American TV is money. But what money doesn't do on American TV, which I thought it would, is buy you time. You don't get more time. You get more toys.
I've never worked in the U.K. television industry, but my guess it that it's a tough world for directors.
I think the world's a little smaller these days. With the Internet and the availability of people, the pool of English speaking actors - not just American actors, but Brits, Australians, New Zealanders, Irish. We're all up for grabs.
We need to look to our laurels a bit with television in this country. I don't think enough risks are being taken in drama television in the U.K., and I think a lot of programme makers are underestimating the intelligence of the viewing public, basing it all on ratings.
British actors used to be scared of the multi-year options that U.S. TV shows demand. That has changed, because the same is now happening in the U.K.
I'm from Australia, where the film industry is potent but small.
In Britain you're more used to challenging drama. In America, TV is just boring, and numbing, and bloody terrible.