Payne

Payne may refer to:

People

Organisations

Places

Entertainment

Other uses

Payne (name)

The surname Payne originates in France and is a variation of the name Payen (Payen; Payens). It is one of the most revered and ancient surnames of the noblesse families of France. The original family lived in Payen, Normandy, where they held family seats in Payen and Dauphine. During the Norman Conquest of England and the great migration, members of this family migrated to England and Europe. It is these ancestors that the generations of Paynes that spread out across the world are descendant from. Upon migrating to England, the Payn's were then granted lands and a family seat in Sussex by Duke William Of Normandy for their distinguished assistance in the battle of Hastings. The first record of Paynes outside France was in England in the Domesday Book shortly after the Norman Conquest. The Paynes are traditionally a Catholic family although many have attempted to draw a loose connection with the Latin paganus = pagan due to the Old English word paien being derived from the Latin word Paganus . There is no hard evidence to support this theory.

Payne (TV series)

Payne is an American sitcom patterned after the British program Fawlty Towers. It starred American actor John Larroquette, who portrayed assistant district attorney Dan Fielding on the American television program Night Court. Larroquette was also an executive producer for the series.

Payne was a mid-season replacement on CBS and aired in March and April 1999. The show also starred JoBeth Williams, Julie Benz and Rick Batalla. Despite fairly positive reception, and receiving the blessing of John Cleese, who agreed to take a recurring role if the show was renewed, Payne was quickly cancelled. Nine episodes were filmed; eight were aired. The show is not available on DVD.

Basic description

Payne was a remake of Fawlty Towers, though set in this version at an ambiguous location on the coast of California, as opposed to Torquay, England, in Fawlty Towers. The action takes place at the Whispering Pines Inn, owned and operated by Royal Payne and his wife, Constance.

The pilot episode, "Pacific Ocean Duck" (which actually aired fifth in sequence), merged the plots of the Fawlty Towers episodes "Gourmet Night" and "The Hotel Inspectors".