He was a lot scarier than Kevin Spacey in the American version. Spacey was good but not nearly as good as Richardson but perhaps that has something to do with the difference in the settings.
@bijouxbroussard American politics is sufficiently different that it made it watchable as a separate work of art. I think it was good. Not being quite as good as a masterpiece is nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately American TV series makers have a tendency to think that that if something is successful then another season must be a good idea so it got less good towards the end. TV programme commissioners and producers often forget that the most successful works of art are those that leave you wanting more rather than being disappointed with the more you get. I'm not looking forward to John Cleese's proposed new version of Fawlty Towers for instance. There were only twelve episodes of Fawlty Towers but for many years I was convinced that there must have been at least twice as many.
