All-time best/worst accents from TV or film

[Dawsonforehead]

Best: Harry (Billy Crystal) in when Harry met Sally

Worst: Daphne from Frasier

Jonny Lee Miller in Trainspotting, I was shocked to find out he was actually English.

Glad to see Jason fucking Statham was mentioned pretty quickly. And yes, yes to his truly awful American accent in all his films.

The young man who played Little Paul in Trust on BBC 2 looks and sounds so American. I Googled him, found him on YouTube speaking, he's from London!

Mel Gibson in Braveheart is pretty shite

Martin Freeman's American accent in Black Panther.

Could they not find an actual American to do it?

I didn't do a best accent and I realise this one's a bit but John Barrowman . I had no idea he's actually Scottish!

Has no-one mentioned Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of thieves? Was he British? American?
To the poster who said -David Tennant doing Scottish in Dr who. He IS Scottish.

John Barrowman has 2 accents having grown up with Scottish parents in the US and switches between the 2.

Helen McCrory has more of a Liverpool accent than a Brummie one. Any Scottish accent other than Johnny Lee Miller in T2 and Emma Thompson did a really credible understated one in Tutti Frutti.

in Peaky Blinders

Rose Leslie aka Mrs J Snow. Not sure what the generic northern is exactly but was very surprised to hear how gloriously posh she sounds.

Idris Elba and Dominic West in The Wire, amazing in every way.

I love an accent and people who can mimic but also love the people that play it the same way every single time. Style it out I say.

Sons of Anarchy when they went to ‘Belfast’... like a PP said, you notice most when someone does your local accent badly and this was beyond!! Never mind the fact that the interior scenes seemed to be filmed at a museum, they were that old fashioned 😂

Idris Elba in the Wire is absolutely amazing.

Hugh Laurie in House is a great US accent, esp if you compare it to him as George in Blackadder right after.

Poor old Charlie Hunnam. I came on to say his Sons of Anarchy accent!

@NotAllIndividuals - she was in my year at school. She’s a total total sweetheart! Lovely girl then and now, still. Her accent wasn’t so RP at school thougg

"Oh and best also from Buffy: Spike's English accent. I was really shocked to hear James Marsters was actually American!" Definitely agree with this.

Dick van dyke in poppins is pretty awful but I give you...

The leprechauns from charmed first appearing in "lucky charmed" truly dreadful attempts at Irish accents!

"The lassie in my mad fat diary. I had no idea she was a weegie" she is pure dead brilliant! She also recently appeared in "no offence" and her accent in that was spot on too - to the point a friend from Manc didn't believe she was weegie I had to send them a link to her interview at scottish BAFTAs to prove it.

"but John Barrowman,
. I had no idea he's actually Scottish!" Yes but he's bi-dialectal is what he calls it. Very common in military kids - changing accent according to where you're living or who you're talking to at the time. He's from just a couple miles from where my family are from originally.

There's quite a few scots actors well known for roles where they have an English or American accent and many think that they're not scots.

Martin compston, James mcavoy, Robert Carlyle, Brian cox, David McCallum, Stella gonet, Hannah Gordon are the ones that come to mind.

"Hugh Laurie in House is a great US accent, esp if you compare it to him as George in Blackadder right after." Or even the irritated passenger in friends.

Best: Alan Cumming in The Good Wife. Amazing.

Kate Winslett's accent in the Dressmaker is spot on. That's exactly the way western Victorian Aussies spoke back then (my grandmothers generation had this accent). Very, very few non Aussie actors get the accent right.

Apparently James Marsters used to practise all his lines with Tony Head (Giles) because he wanted to do a good job with the accent. You can hear it go downhill after Giles leaves. There’s one great example later on when he says Don’t patronise me but pronounces it paytronise. Cringe.

Yes I agree Hugh Laurie in house is amazing. He won an award, got up to say thank you and apparently most people were agog when they realised he was British!

My award for worst accent goes to Troian Bellisario in Pretty Little Liars with her evil twin Mockney accent. Apparently they sprung the accent on her last minute. Truly dreadful. Closely followed by Kendra, the vampyah slayuh

Fooferella David Tennant does an English accent in Doctor Who?

Inspector George Gently’s cockney accent. I love Martin Shaw but really.

Sorry, meant to say that was worst.

Best - Renee Zellweger’s English accent in Bridget Jones.

I've just remembered - Billie Piper's Belfast accent and her posh accent in Penny Dreadful. Both cringeworthy, but I can't stand her anyway. On the other hand, Reeve Carney from Penny Dreadful - I was very surprised to find out he's American.

In the very first SATC episode there is the sequence with a woman from England called Elizabeth and the accent is just shocking

Clare Bowen in Nashville was pretty good. I went to see her in concert and even though I know she is an Aussie it was still odd to hear her speaking without a Southern accent.

I thought Renee Zellweger was good in Bridget Jones — the only bit I kept noticing was her pronunciation of ‘Mark Dark’, which was a grade plummier than the rest of her accent. And she was rather plummier than either parent.