Dodgy British accents in American programmes

[rugbychick1]

I'm currently recovering from surgery and binge watching "Bones" for the first time. Why do the accents for any British characters all sound the same? Now I've noticed it, why can't I un notice it?

[GalileoHumpkins]

I once read an American woman claiming that she could do British accents really well, all two of them

[Gingerwright]

Yeah it's really annoying. But it's the same with all accents. English people trying to sound Scottish, Scottish people trying to sound Irish, etc. All terrible. It's very rare that a native speaker can't tell.
Why can't they just find an actor from the right place? It ruins programmes sometimes.

[rugbychick1]

It does ruin the shows sometimes

[Hoppinggreen]

What is a British accent anyway?
English? Scottish? Welsh?

[WorstBJever]

Apart from Frasier, where Daphne's brothers each had wildly different accents (played by Richard E Grant, Antony la Paglia and Robbie Coltrane) and not one of them Mancunian! Drives me mad every time 😅

[LubaLuca]

I always thought Daphne's accent was poor. I know the actress is English, but why did she have to aim for a Manchester accent? Would it have mattered if the character came from wherever the actress did?

[Poshjock]

@WorstBJever

Apart from Frasier, where Daphne's brothers each had wildly different accents (played by Richard E Grant, Antony la Paglia and Robbie Coltrane) and not one of them Mancunian! Drives me mad every time 😅

I hated the Daphne family episodes. Her mother was a dire character who was just grating and the brothers were awful too. Despite all being decent actors, they were just poorly cast and never worked in these roles. Antony La Paglia's accent was awful and I can't even watch him in Frasier.

The idea that not one of them would have the same or similar accent completly over the heads of the US TV market.

[SnowFir]

Renée Zellweger did a good job in Bridget Jones I thought

[jfshu]

@WorstBJever I was just coming here to say Frasier for Daphne's brothers, I googled this recently and apparently it was an "inside" joke...not sure if this is true or not!

[EVHead]

@SnowFir

Renée Zellweger did a good job in Bridget Jones I thought

She was far too posh. Her family weren’t posh.

[EVHead]

There must be loads of struggling British actors in Hollywood who would love some of these jobs. I’ll never understand why they get a crappy actor to do a British accent. Total cringe.

[Mabelface]

I absolutely loved Bones. Enjoy!

[jfshu]

The accent I struggled with was Michael C Hall in Safe, it was the most neutral/bland British accent I have ever heard! I don't know why but it really grated on me, you just couldn't tell where in the country it was meant to be from and I swear no one talks like that because there will always be a twinge of "something".

[SnowFir]

@EVHead

She was far too posh. Her family weren’t posh.

People don't necessarily have the same accent as their parents.

[Namechange828492]

Funnily enough I recently experienced this in the reverse. The latest "flowers in the attic" telefilm has a lot of British actors in a story set in the US, specifically Virginia. I'm not even American and I could hear the English accent slipping through so I'm sure Americans find it awful!

[MermaidEyes]

@SnowFir

Renée Zellweger did a good job in Bridget Jones I thought

She sounded awful I thought! Her words were far too stretched out. Might have sounded plausible to another American but not a native English speaker. David tennant does a pretty good English accent.

[MermaidEyes]

English person not speaker. I know Americans speak English 😆

[allgrownupnow]

Brad Pitt did a spot on Traveller accent in Snatch.

And the other way around - idris elba and Dominic west had good accents in The Wire

[Archeron]

Famke Janssen in Hemlock Grove. Her accent was so bad I turned it off part way through the first episode, it was just unwatchable.

The one that broke my heart though was Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He was gorgeous and did a really good job of pretending to be British, but every now and again the accent slipped and broke the illusion.

[tillytoodles1]

The worst one I've ever heard is Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

[StillWantingADog]

I’m not sure I have ever heard an American do an authentic English accent well.

both Renee zelleeger and Gwyneth Paltrow can do a nice “cut glass” English accent but nobody actually speaks like that!

[MermaidEyes]

@tillytoodles1

The worst one I've ever heard is Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

Cor blimey guvnor 😂

[MrsMitford3]

I vaguely remember outrage and hilarity around the Friends episode with Ross's English girlfriend Emily. Her "mates" from England had awful English accents-I think one was Australian.
In another worst-the scene where they are playing "rugby" in the park!!!
Helen Baxendale must have been mortified

[StillWantingADog]

I’m not sure I have ever heard an American do an authentic English accent well.

and certainly not Scottish/welsh/Irish

[MartyMcFlysPurpleUnderwear]

There was a “Geordie” character in an episode of Castle 😂