Wire star: 'UK can't do modern drama'

Dominic West has said that the UK seems incapable of producing good quality contemporary drama.

The actor, who plays plays Jimmy McNulty in HBO series The Wire, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 that the UK could not match the US in this area.

West said: "If you turn on American TV, there's a huge choice of nothing you want to see and, unfortunately, I think that's the case here now as well.

"I love costume drama, no-one does it like the BBC - no-one has the money to do it, first of all and, secondly, Americans don't have the history do it.

He added: "So we do it brilliantly, but if you talk to any BBC producers, they abhor the fact...they're dying to do The Wire and hate doing Cranford.

"I thought Cranford was incredible but we don't seem to be able to do contemporary stuff."

The Wire receives its terrestrial UK premiere tonight at 11.20pm on BBC Two, with the channel eventually planning to show all five series of the show.