Nicholas Lyndhurst speaks out on quitting UK for USA after landing new comedy role: ‘Wonderful to be here’
Nicholas Lyndhurst took on the role of Alan Cornwall, a former college friend of Dr Frasier Crane (played by Kelsey Grammer) and a university professor, back in 2023 and has been filming in the USA ever since.
Lyndhurst made his name in TV for his role as Rodney Trotter in the BBC’s Only Fools and Horses – a long-running comedy series – opposite Sir David Jason and gripped the hearts of the nation across multiple generations.
Four decades later, Lyndhurst is still blessing the screens of his fans whilst starring in the American sitcom – Frasier – but left some concerned that he had moved to the US for good.
Despite enjoying his time across the pond, Lyndhurst, 63, has insisted that England will always be his home and told Radio Times: “I’m just here for the duration of the show.
“I’ll go home to the UK afterward but it’s absolutely wonderful to be here for now. I’m in my mid-60s – at this stage of my career, I wasn’t expecting to be walking through the gates of Paramount Pictures every morning.
“I probably pinch myself every 20 minutes in this job, because working with Kelsey and working in this building is heart-stoppingly wonderful.”
Discussing whether he found himself as the British consultant for the writers, Lyndhurst noted that the way scripts are written in the US is very different from how they are in the UK.
He noted that rewrites “happen every day… it even changes when the audience is in the building” before noting that the writers are “good guys” and know what they are doing.
When Lyndhurst appeared in Frasier last year, fans were sent into a meltdown and quickly flooded social media with their praise for the star.
The sitcom sees Frasier return to Boston following the death of his father and the end of his relationship, with Lyndhurst’s character playing a major part in the series.
Since joining the show, Grammer praised Lyndhurst since he joined the cast and told Deadline last year: “Nick and I fell in love when we were doing Man of La Mancha together [at the London Coliseum in 2019].
“I warned them in America. I said, ‘Wait until this guy gets here. You’ll be doing a scene with him and suddenly you realise he’s just run off with it.’
“He’s an extraordinary actor, a dear friend. And I am so pleased he’s part of it.”
Despite his new role, Lyndhurst will always be remembered for his role alongside Jason after they shared an incredible bond throughout their time on the show.
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Celebrating their friendship, Jason said in a documentary last year: “You couldn’t have had a better co-partner than Nic. We liked and respected each other so much, we were genuinely good friends.”
The official Frasier Instagram account posted a trailer for the second series of the sitcom back in August ahead of its release this month.
