Sir, - When I read Harry Thompson's bitter complaint ("A Very Irish Accent," The Irish Times, January 17th) that baddies in Irish/American films are always English, I really had to laugh. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black: for years, baddies on English television have been Irish.
Murderers, crime bosses, corrupt cops, sleaze merchants of all kinds provide challenging roles for actors, giving better opportunities than goodie parts, so I was delighted that they gave work to so many good Irish actors. All the same, after a while it did seem like Paddy-bashing.
Take Cracker, for example. If there was a baddie in the series who wasn't Irish, it must have been in an episode I missed. - Yours, etc.,
Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.