Alternative casting?

[SweetTea]

Like A Cousin, I'm on the other side of the pond but I didn't know any of the actors. For me it was the premise of show and its being set in Britain that was enough to reel me in, but it was the actors that made me stick with the show.

As we got into the later series I had started watching other things from the UK so I recognized a few of the guest stars as well as Sophia Miles from her US series Moonlight.

I tend to feel that if I can't picture anyone else in the role then the actor must have done a good job of making it their own and convincing me that they were that character. The other part of that is the chemistry that two people have and bring to the show. Imagine if someone other than NW had played Ruth. Would there still have been that dynamic between her and PF that would have led to the 'relationship' between Harry and Ruth? Maybe, maybe not.

I agree with AC that the guest stars for Series 10 were among the best the show had. Alice Krige as Elena was simply magnificent.