We love to hear him swear on the TV

What is it with the Americans? They can be really quite brutal in films, but somehow on TV they are unable to say a bad word to anyone. When they were making the US version of Pop Idol, they searched high and low for the American Simon Cowell, but eventually had to buy in Simon Cowell, because they couldn't find anyone else to be nasty to talentless singers. Ditto Ann Robinson on the Weakest Link. Now we find that they can't even be grumpy or swear on TV: they have to hire in Hugh Laurie, possibly the most English person on the planet behind Steven Fry, to scowl and take drugs on House, and Ian McShane (TV's lovable, joyous, Lovejoy) to swear and spit in Deadwood. Our sweetest, fluffiest actors play the worst, nastiest characters on US TV. Thank goodness Vinnie Jones is unable to fake an American accent, or we'd all be in trouble.