Minnie and cross-dressing Izzard's TV drama is surprise U.S smash hit

Transvestite comedian Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver, who once became so disillusioned with acting that she pursued a singing career, star in The Riches, the surprise new television hit.

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In addition to receiving rave reviews, a pilot show for the first 12-part series attracted 3.8 million viewers - the highest cable TV audience in America on Monday night.

The success of The Riches, made by FX, the division of Rupert Murdoch's Fox that is also behind Nip/Tuck and The Shield, has stunned Hollywood given its uncompromising subject matter.

It also marks Izzard and Driver's first regular roles in an American TV series. Izzard, 45, and Driver, 37, portray "white trash" parents Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, who flee a gipsy encampment in Louisiana after a robbery. They are in a car crash and steal the identity of a wealthy couple who die in the accident.

The New York Times reviewer described Izzard and Driver as "superb" and the Boston Globe said the drama had "unexpectedly soulful pleasures".

Driver, whose character is a drug addict newly out of prison, said the show was a hit because of her and Izzard's outsider status. She said: "There's an otherness about Eddie and me that works really well. It's a little bit of an exploration of the American dream but we come at it from a different point of view."

London-born Driver was nominated for an Oscar for Good Will Hunting. But, despite roles in several prominent films, she became frustrated with movies and released a country music album in 2004.

Izzard toned down his cross-dressing to get the part. He said: "I'm a card-carrying, born transvestite but you have to be a little tactical about wearing a dress. If you're going for a straight role and you show up wearing make-up and a dress, your career won't go anywhere."

Channel 4, Five and Sky One are all believed to be bidding for the UK rights to screen the show, probably later this year.