Bits and Bobs (Vol. 3): Some Joes You Should Know (Part 1)

I'm crazy about the British heist flick The Bank Job, which drops on DVD Tuesday. If The Long Good Friday and The Lavender Hill Mob had spawn, it would star Jason Statham as a petty thief duped into stealing risque photos of Princes Margaret. Even better: Stephen Campbell Moore (pictured, left) plays one of Statham's buds. I've worshiped Stephen since he portrayed lovah-boy King Edward VIII in Wallis & Edward. Now he's on the Life on Mars spin-off Ashes to Ashes. Seeing him in a big feature made me all warm inside, and got me thinking about all the British and Irish actors who are pretty darn famous at home, but who play second bananas in other projects. You know, the thesps you hope will get a high profile U.S. role one day so your friends don't think you're crazy when you say Hey, that's Jeff from Coupling' or David Oyelowo (pictured, right) is da bomb.'  Here are ten of my faves. (All these shows or TV movies are available on DVD, unless otherwise noted.) 

1. Rafe Spall. You may remember him as: One of the bumbling mustachioed coppers working alongside Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz. Check him out as: a naïve juror carrying on a passionate, illicit affair with a worldly colleague during the real life obscenity trial over Lady Chatterley's Lover in The Chatterley Affair. 
2. Jodhi May. You may remember her as: Madeleine Stowe's suicidal sister in The Last of the Mohicans. Check her out as: the orphaned Jewish opera singer who steals Hugh Dancy's heart in Daniel Deronda. 
3. Richard Coyle. You may remember him as: The scheming investment banker who tries to take down Russell Crowe in A Good Year. Check him out as: insane Welshman' Jeff Murdock in the comedy <...

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