THE BRITS were out in force on Saturday at a glitzy tea hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
BAFTA was honoring some of the UK’s best talent at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills ahead of Sunday’s Emmy Awards, including Downton Abbey stars Hugh Bonneville and Michele Dockery.
Other stars in attendance included Michael Douglas, Kerry Washington and Jon Voight, as well as Kevin Spacey, whose Emmy-nominated series “House of Cards” began life as an acclaimed British television show in the 1990s.
Spacey has long had a love affair with British theatre and has served as the artistic director for London’s famed Old Vic theatre for over a decade.
Guests ate finger foods and wore sunglasses at the hotel, shielding themselves from the California sun under large white umbrellas while mingling with local British notables, including recently-installed Consul-General Chris O’Connor and wife Martha Nelems.
It was only fitting that so many of the Americans in attendance were Anglophiles, with several telling reporters about their own favorite British television show.
Allison Holker of “So You Think You Can Dance” said she loves the original British version of “The Office.”
So does “Breaking Bad” star Dean Norris, who called it one of his “favorite shows of all time.” Norris said he’s also hoping to find the time to watch “Dr. Who.”
Actor Reid Scott of “Veep” said he really loves BBC’s “Sherlock Holmes.” Scott even had his own theories about why Americans are embracing, and even copying, British humor.
“I think American comedy has really taken a page from British comedy in that we demand intelligent comedy now,” Scott said. “It’s not so slapsticky. It’s not so bawdy anymore.”
One guest described the party as ‘fabulous fun’ – which is just as well considering Britain’s miserable showing the following night at the big awards. America’s much-touted love affair with Downton Abbey failed to bear fruit this year, with Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith and creator Julian Fellows all missing out as the series failed to convert any of its seven prime-time nominations into wins.
Other Brits who missed out were Damian Lewis (Homeland), Toby Jones (The Girl), Benedict Cumberbatch (Parade’s End) and Armando Iannucci (Veep). In the end scriptwriter Abi Morgan was the only Brit to bring home a statuette on the night, for her work on the BBC’s stylish period newsroom thriller The Hour.
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