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Laurie: Britain has shunned me since my House success

11/03/2008

Hugh Laurie has claimed he has been largely ignored by the British film and television industry since his success across the Atlantic.

The House star says he has not been offered any work in his homeland since charming American audiences as the painkiller-addicted doctor.

And despite achieving numerous award nominations for his work in the Fox series, Laurie said he feels ignored by his British contemporaries.

"The door slammed behind me, and that's it," he told the Radio Times.

"There's a notion that I've sold out. Sold out what?

"There's a peculiar British attitude that I took an oath I wouldn't be successful, and reneged on it."

The 48-year-old said the hours on the show were "relentless" and despite his strong desire to work again with Jeeves and Wooster co-star Stephen Fry, he remains "off the market".

"There's no time to do anything else," he explained.

The Blackadder actor - who has admitted to suffering from depression - said the pressures of the show had left him feeling distanced from his wife Jo and three children, who have remained in London despite his regular filming in Los Angeles.

But he added: "It's been a great strain, but all things come to an end - strains as well as delights - and we'll get through."

A Golden Globe winner, Laurie also paid tribute to American audiences, saying they are "more aware of the world outside" than their British counterparts.