For five years Jamie Bamber risked his life as Lee “Apollo” Adama in an ongoing battle against a race of robots determined to wipe out what was left of humanity in the futuristic sci-fi drama Battlestar Galactica. Not long after that series wrapped production, the actor took to the streets of London to help keep its citizens safe from the criminal element as (Junior) Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in Law & Order: UK. From a professional as well as personal standpoint, the chance to work on a British version of the long-running U.S. franchise was something he could not pass up.
“I was intrigued with the concept of taking an iconic American TV show and remaking it for a British audience,” says Bamber. “This was also an opportunity for me to return home [to the UK] with a big splash and work there for the first time in five years. Personally it allowed me and my family to reacquaint ourselves with London life as well as family over there and gave our kids the chance to get to know their roots.
“So I sent the producers a couple of [audition] tapes and was then flown to New York to meet with them. We had a friendly and very positive chat and it sort of all fell into place. By the time I had finished work on Battlestar the deal was done and I had a month to get myself back to London with my family.
