DOH! HOMER Simpson has been left reeling after York's own Mark Addy thrashed the US icon in the battle of the ratings.

Now Mark, who shot to fame after appearing in The Full Monty, is taking on all-comers across the pond as he plays one of the main characters in primetime US sitcom Still Standing.

The show, which is aired on CBS every Monday at 8.30pm, is regularly pulling in more than 11 million viewers, beating The Simpsons, which recently attracted less than 80,000.

According to ratings figures published last month, Still Standing also beat popular shows Desperate Housewives, West Wing and O.C.

Mark plays Bill Miller in the Twentieth Century Fox Television production, a blue-collar Chicago toilet salesman trying to raise three children responsibly and sacrifice his youthfulness.

A classically trained actor, he found his first brush with show business aged 15 as a stagehand at York Theatre Royal.

Mark, who lives in York with his wife, Kelly, and daughter, Ruby, recently told the Evening Press how he had struggled to get rid of his Yorkshire accent. He said: "I had to spend a lot of time with a dialect coach to try and get rid of my strong accent. It is hard work."

But it seems to have paid off, despite some reviewers criticising the show's humour and Mark's accent.

One US website, praised the "wonderful chemistry" between Mark and co-star Jami Gertz, while another reviewer wrote: "Mark Addy is very funny, and you forget he's really British. Jami Gertz and he click.

"The storylines are simple, but not sappy, they can invoke a good laugh."

York pantomime dame Berwick Kaler, who has known Mark personally for years, paid tribute to his friend's success.

He said: "There are people in this business who deserve their success. Mark is at the top of my list in this category. Nothing goes to his head.

"He is a Hollywood star and yet he still visits Martin (Barrass) and I and contends to laugh at us in pantomime.

"We will never envy him as long as he keeps sending us food parcels."

Updated: 10:18 Tuesday, February 08, 2005