Expats on the Telly
       
      Sunday, June 18, 2000   


      Expats on the Telly 
       Fiction follows fact at a Studio City pub 

      By SUSAN COMPO



           The BBC sitcom "Too Much Sun," which premieres in England this 
      September, follows the lives of three expats--an actor, a writer and a 
      handyman to the stars--who meet at a Studio City pub called the Fox and 
      Hounds. It's fiction follows fact: The show's co-creator, actor/writer Jim 
      Piddock, is an English expat who lives in the Hollywood Hills and hangs 
      out at the real-life Fox and Hounds in, yes, Studio City. To measure the 
      show's accuracy, we went to the pub for a "Too Much Sun" screening. The 
      crowd, still pumped from a championship soccer match on the telly that 
      morning, had plenty to say, luv. 

      * * *
           8:55 a.m. "I always thought a show about expats in L.A. would be a 
      great idea," says Paula Cannon, a Liverpool native and professor at USC's 
      School of Medicine, as she awaits the post-soccer-match screening. But, 
      she groans, "Now we'll have even more English over." 
           9:15 a.m. The crowd cheers when the pub's familiar exterior appears 
      on-screen. "It can't be here," says a wisecracker as the action moves 
      indoors. "People have smiles on their faces." 
           9:18 a.m. On-screen, an American character dressed in Elizabethan 
      garb enters the pub. "I'm from the Burbank Renaissance Faire," he 
      announces in a mock English accent. One of the characters promptly tells 
      him to "piss off." Pub regular Danny ("Use my name, I have my green card") 
      Eccleston recognizes the rudeness. "Oh, it is in here," he says. "Too Much 
      Sun" is bright, racy and full of double-entendres. "It portrays the expats 
      in a bad light, as well as Los Angeles," Piddock explains. "Equal 
      opportunity insults." 
           9:25 a.m. The story line finds writer Nigel (Mark Addy) consulting a 
      psychic about his love life and writer's block. "I see bricks, I see 
      rubble . . . " the psychic intones. "She's trying to warn him off 'Viva 
      Rock Vegas'!" a wag shouts at the tube. 
           9:50 a.m. Piddock shows a second episode. "The handyman!" someone 
      calls out. "Isn't that Dave, the guy with the tattooed neck?" Pub owner 
      Gary Richards asks Piddock: "What about the segment where everyone's 
      complaining about the food?" Piddock, who didn't bring that episode with 
      him, keeps mum. 
           10 a.m. "We had to avoid being too show-bizzy or too alien," Piddock 
      says of tailoring the series for a British audience. It seems to be a hit 
      with the group gathered here, who are perhaps all too familiar with the 
      characters' rundown guest houses and '65 Ford Mustangs, not to mention 
      American sportscasters mispronouncing Bristol "Ravers" when they mean 
      "Rovers." 
           10:10 a.m. The plot calls for actor Julian (Alex Jennings) to enlist 
      the help of his landlord, Lee Majors (yes, Lee Majors), in securing a 
      meeting with Majors' agent, only to discover that the man has died. "Story 
      of my life," a viewer mutters, placing his pint on the bar. 
           10:30 a.m. Show's over. Piddock heads out and Richards tucks into a 
      breakfast of eggs, baked beans, bangers and chips. But not every limey 
      leaves happy. "Bit of a stereotype, isn't it?" snips one disgruntled gent 
      as he exits. 

           "Too Much Sun" creator Jim Piddock's three most British things to do 
      in L.A.:* 
           A British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) screening. 
           An L.A. Wanderers Football (soccer) Club game at Parkman Middle 
      School in Woodland Hills on Sunday morning--"particularly for the insults 
      directed at the referee." 
           Tea parties at the British Consulate. 
           *"All of which should be avoided by civilized citizens of any 
      nationality." 
      
       
      Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times