British Shows that Made it Across the Pond Quiz

Answer: Ian McShane

"Lovejoy" ran from 1986-1994 and showed up on American TV during the 1990s on the A&E Network. The show featured Ian McShane as an ex-con art "divvie" who had a gift for distinguishing real antiques from fakes. Phyllis Logan, perhaps better known for playing Mrs. Hughes on "Downton Abbey", appeared on the show as Lady Jane Felsham, Lovejoy's friend and partner at one point.

Answer: Jennifer Saunders

Based on a skit created by Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, "Absolutely Fabulous" was developed into a series by Saunders. On the show, she portrayed Edina Monsoon, a middle-aged party girl with an enabling best friend Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and a responsible daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha) who looked after her. "Ab Fab", as it was known, originally ran from 1992 to 1996 and was broadcast in the U.S. about the same time on the Comedy Central network and on some Public Broadcasting stations.

Answer: Kenneth Branagh

"Wallander" was a police series based on the novels by Henning Mankell. The title character, Kurt Wallander, was an empathetic police detective in a small town in Sweden. Although the novels had been previously filmed in Swedish, the Kenneth Branagh version was filmed in English in twelve episodes from 2008-2015.

They aired in the U.S. slightly later on the PBS "Masterpiece Mystery" show, although the final series actually aired in the U.S. before it aired in the U.K.

Answer: Lenny Henry

"Chef!" ran from 1993 to 1996 and featured Lenny Henry as the acerbic but talented Gareth Blackstock, the chef at a gourmet restaurant in the English countryside. Mainly set in the restaurant kitchen, the show also focused on Blackstock's home life with his neglected wife Janice (Caroline Lee-Johnson). The series ran on PBS in the U.S. shortly after its broadcast in the U.K.

Answer: Patricia Routledge

Yes, Hyacinth Bucket was just as legendary in the U.S. as in the U.K. "Keeping Up Appearances" ran from 1990 to 1995 and was originally broadcast in the U.S. on PBS around the same time, although it continued to be shown on PBS for many years after that. On the show, Patricia Routledge portrayed the social-climbing Hyacinth "Bouquet" Bucket with Clive Swift portraying her long-suffering husband Richard.

Answer: Mark Williams

Although he may be better known to American audiences as Arthur Weasley of "Harry Potter" fame, Mark Williams appeared as the title character on the BBC show "Father Brown", with the first four series of the show being broadcast from 2013-2016. The series appeared in the U.S. on PBS at about the same time. On the show, Williams portrayed G.K. Chesterton's Catholic priest who had a special knack for solving crimes.

Answer: Benedict Cumberbatch

"Sherlock" debuted in 2010 with the first three series airing through 2014, and it was shown in the U.S. shortly thereafter on PBS as part of the "Masterpiece" series. An update on the traditional Arthur Conan Doyle stories, "Sherlock" brought the character of Sherlock Holmes into modern times and presented the stories with a twist. On the show, Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed Holmes with Martin Freeman as Watson and series co-creator Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes.

Answer: Judi Dench

"As Time Goes By" ran from 1992 to 2002 and was originally broadcast in the U.S. on PBS shortly thereafter; like "Keeping Up Appearances", the show continued to be in rotation on PBS for many years after its initial run. On the show, Judi Dench portrayed Jean Hanson Hardcastle, a widow who reconnected with and eventually married her first love, Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) forty years after they split up due to a lost letter.

Answer: Idris Elba

American audiences knew Idris Elba from his portrayal as drug lord Stringer Bell on "The Wire", but he also appeared as the title character in the series "Luther" which originally ran from 2010-2015 in the U.K. It was shown in the U.S. shortly thereafter on BBC America, and it was also shown on PBS and the BET network. On the show, Elba portrayed DCI John Luther, a dedicated but emotionally tormented police detective. Elba won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for his work on the show.

Answer: Maggie Smith

Originally broadcast from 2010 to 2015, "Downton Abbey" aired in the U.S. a few months later as part of the "Masterpiece" series on PBS. A period drama taking place between 1912 and 1925, the series followed the aristocratic Crawley family, with Maggie Smith portraying Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham.

Although Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham was arguably the leading character on the show, the best lines on the show went to the Dowager Countess so Maggie Smith gets the recognition in this quiz.