**Chris O’Dowd Reflects on Life in London After Moving from the US**
Actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd has shared his observations about returning to London from the United States, noting a sense of despondency among the city’s residents following a decade of austerity measures. The star of *The IT Crowd* relocated to London from Los Angeles with his wife, Dawn O’Porter, and their two children a year ago.
In an interview with Sky News, O’Dowd remarked, “It’s just gone through 10 years of austerity, and you can feel it.” He expressed that the general mood seems to be one of gloom, attributing it to either the divisive political climate or the financial struggles faced by many due to prolonged underfunding of public services. “I don’t know if it’s because of the divisive political culture or whether it’s because people are broke as s**t because they haven’t put any money into public services for so long,” he said. “But everybody is… it would be hard to say it’s improved.”
When asked about any signs of optimism for the future, he responded, “Not yet.” O’Dowd clarified that his decision to return to the UK was not influenced by the election of Donald Trump, but rather a desire to leave before the political climate became too heated. “It actually didn’t this time, because he won so easily,” he added.
The Irish actor spoke ahead of the premiere of his new Sky Original series, *Small Town, Big Story*, set to debut on Thursday, February 27. The show, which takes place in the fictional Irish border village of Drumban, follows Wendy Patterson, played by Christina Hendricks of *Mad Men*, who returns to her hometown with a film crew and must confront a long-buried secret involving extraterrestrial visitors.
When questioned about his beliefs regarding the existence of aliens, O’Dowd expressed skepticism about humanity being the only intelligent life. “In the vastness of the universe, or the multiverse or whatever we’re existing within, it seems highly unlikely that you and me are the best we can do, no offence,” he stated, noting that he hails from Boyle, County Roscommon, a region known as a “UFO hotspot” in Ireland.
The show-within-a-show, titled *I Am Celt* but humorously referred to as *Lame Of Thrones*, satirizes Hollywood’s often inaccurate portrayals of Ireland. O’Dowd acknowledged that while some depictions can be exaggerated, the Irish are also guilty of misrepresenting Americans. “Whenever I hear Americans being depicted from Irish people, very often they’re stuffing themselves with cheeseburgers and they’re morons. There’s got to be a bit of give and take with that,” he concluded.
