Ryan's hope

I saw a great clip of former EastEnder Michelle Ryan (she played Zoe Slater) from her new Bionic Woman series that's just been commissioned in the States for the new 'fall' season. The bit where she sees her bionic legs was rather chilling.

It's amazing she's done so well and good for her. I can't think of another EastEnder who's achieved anything like that level of TV success Stateside. Whether the series will be crap or not will unfold in time, but it's funny to see that already the knives are out. It's okay that Damian Lewis, Lloyd Owen (who is crap IMHO and the kiss of death for any series), Anna Friel (a former soap star herself and the star of a string of truly bad films) and Lena Heady have vehicles in the new season. They're 'proper' actors. But Michelle Ryan - Mediaguardian has already written her off. But then it would, wouldn't it. Fan sites are saying she's the best thing about the show.

Granted, she was never the most charismatic of actresses, and I concede that she was just this side of wooden in Mansfield Park, but she was good enough. When she was in EE, critics seemd to think she was one of the better actresses. But this isn't about about the acting though is it. It's about giving someone a chance and wishing them well. But we can't do that. We knock them at first - why should she of all people be making it big when others fail - then if the show's a hit we'll be in awe of her because she's 'made it' in America. It's a terribly British disease. There'll be a race to say 'I told you so' if it's a bomb.

So in the meantime they will wank over Damian Lewis whose dull-sounding cop show may or may not make it. Ruthless scheduling means it could either be yanked after two weeks or get recommissioned for 22 episodes with eveyone on seven-year contracts. Let's hope it's the latter. But not because Damian Lewis is any better then Michelle Ryan, but because it's someone from over here doing rather well over there.