XPost: rec.arts.tv.uk.comedy, alt.comedy.british   
   From: Ian@salsbury42.freeserve.co.uk   
      
   "Clark W. Griswold, Jr."  wrote in message   
   news:578k015lk64al3dl72o97aqqeaafplcqjo@4ax.com...   
   > There's one more striking difference between UK programmes and American   
   > ones:   
   > Whereas American producers frequently go through very public negotiations   
   > and   
   > settle for more money (aka 'Friends'), UK producers seem to have no   
   > reluctance   
   > to killing off major (and usually popular) characters.   
   >   
   > Coupling, Waking the Dead (this one hurts. Come back, Mel.), Spooks and   
   > now   
   > Murphy's Law. Wow.   
   >   
   > Why is this? Are the UK actors just bored with the roles? Want more money?   
   > Afraid of typecasting?   
      
   Quite often the writers/actors want to leave the show on a high and go and   
   do something else. Typecasting is a part of it as well. There are loads of   
   great British comedies that stopped whilst still incredibly popular - Fawlty   
   Towers, The Young Ones, Phoenix Nights, Father Ted ( it had already been   
   anounced to be the last series before the death of Dermot Morgan ), Black   
   Adder etc. Contrast that with shows that went on past their sell by date -   
   Red Dwarf springs to mind. If you leave something go whilst it`s on a high   
   people will remember it more fondly.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)