Telegraph article features Damian Lewis

 Wolf Hall, an adaptation of the award-winning historical novels, features none other than ginger dreamboat Damian Lewis as Henry VIII, the original power-broker.

 And, yes, there is something about the gentlemen who star in these shows being born in the UK that adds to their appeal. 

source telegraph com

A strong British chap, of course. Thanks to our colonial foundations, the English – especially the posh variety who wrote our charters – will always seem like our superiors. We think their books are smarter, their schools are better, their tea is finer, and their television programs smack of a respectability that only AMC and HBO seem to be able to replicate. We’re constantly seeking their approval like we’re a fledgling singer getting to perform for Simon Cowell for the first time. We know he’s going to disapprove, but we want him to disapprove of us the least.

Now we want a strong, well-raised British man to sweep us off our feet. We don’t need that darling Hugh Grant to stumble through his lines anymore. We need Benedict Cumberbatch to show up with MI6 and solve all of our problems. Actually, this all seems to have started with James Bond. We’ve traded in quippy Roger Moore and smooth Pierce Brosnan (who is actually Irish) for Daniel Craig, who gets out of the ocean showing off all his bulges and muscles his way through any problem that lies in his path.

This new Bond points to a desire to be whisked away and put right; we want to be told that everything is going to be better, and luxuriate in his strong embrace. If anyone can solve our problems, it’s the British. They’re so smart.

And that’s what is behind the heroes of so many of these shows – superior intellect, personal and military power, and excellent scones. The chances of the UK lifting us out of our spiritual, economic, and military hole seem about as slim as finding our own Mr Darcy to kiss us in a rainstorm, but there is no other choice. There is only one society that we have idolised for centuries, and if ours can’t seem to make it, maybe our former overlords will come back to reclaim us.