Our British Invasion is finally over. In September, and then again this month, we hosted friends from the U.K.

The September friends, a young couple who were planning a three-week cross-country road trip, were especially keen to start out in Baltimore.

Baltimore?

Why start there?

I’d love to say that the draw was purely the Olshans. These are old friends, and we do have fun together. But setting that aside, along with the fact that it’s inexpensive and convenient to fly from London to Baltimore/Washington International Airport, there was another, much deeper reason: our British friends are all obsessed with the HBO series The Wire.

We often hear about the impact of our popular culture abroad, for better or for worse—mostly worse. An ultra-violent movie starring, perhaps, a steroid-pumped future governor of a large western state, will flop domestically, only to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign movie houses. A pop singer fleeing from child molestation lawsuits or fresh from rehab will sell out stadiums across Europe and Asia.

Baywatch, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, is the most-watched television show in the world.

There’s an enormous curiosity abroad about the United States. This country is seen with a mixture of admiration, loathing, and fear. Just as we do here at home, the people of the world choose to see and hear whatever reinforces their prejudices about America.

Even the really smart ones, like our British friends.

The Wire is apparently a smash hit in the U.K. Shana and I have seen a few episodes. There’s a lot to admire in the show. Its ambition and scope, for one thing. Each season explores a different aspect of life in Baltimore—the drug trade, the police, the city schools, the news media, local politics—slowly building a comprehensive portrait of a society under tremendous pressure. There have been comparisons to the novels of Charles Dickens.

Somehow, for me, the show hit a little too close to home. I couldn’t manage to lose myself in it. It’s hard to suspend your disbelief when a place you know is being exploited for dramatic purposes. You find yourself arguing with background details, rather than getting swept up by the story.

When our September friends arrived, I was amazed by how much their impressions of Baltimore had been shaped by The Wire.  They were constantly on the lookout for Wire landmarks and for local actors who’d appeared in the show.

Their vigilance was rewarded. I took them out for soup one afternoon. One of the big stars of the show was camped out at a table by the front door.

I didn’t recognize the actress. The Wire made a point to cast people who looked like authentic locals. She could have been any one of the confident, well-dressed, health-conscious lovelies who frequent this particular organic restaurant.

My friends were awe-struck. There followed a twenty-minute huddle while they screwed up the courage to approach her. Fear of embarrassment is one of the pillars of British culture. What if the actress was sick of being interrupted? What if they inadvertently caused a scene?

I told them that she’d stationed herself by the front door for a reason: actors like attention. This trip was an adventure, right? Just go for it!

They did, and returned a few minutes later, beaming. The actress was so friendly! She was a normal person, just like you and me! They had a nice chat and got a picture with her. Was this an awesome country or what?

I had the feeling, after I dropped them off at the train station, that the rest of their American journey was going to be a footnote to that celebrity moment.

Of course, when our October friend arrived, he nearly went out of his mind with envy. He wanted to take a “Wire” tour, with stops at open-air drug markets, bombed out school buildings, and deadly neighborhoods.

Alas, he left Baltimore without spotting a single star from the show. He lucked out in Manhattan, though. Right there in his hotel lobby, larger than life, was one of the stars of the Sopranos.

So his trip across the Pond wasn’t a total loss.

This column was published in the Perry Co Times on 29 October 2009

For more information, please contact Mr. Olshan at writing@matthewolshan.com