First, his cockney accent sounds a bit off for some reason
Second, we’re in America, I have nothing against cockney accents, but here I just think it’s stupid.
Third, he actually uses some words/expressions that English people wouldn’t understand.
He says that they’ll give you an “English Muffin with butter and jam.” Unfortunately what we know as an English muffin today doesn’t exactly exist in England, and they certainly wouldn’t call it an English Muffin.
I’m not entirely sure of what else they’ve gotten wrong, but I’m sure there’s more.
BTW, can any English or better informed dopers tell me if his cockney is actually real? I’m almost certain that his choice of words aren’t.
Not to mention that the gecko has had at least three accent changes since his inception. He was originally voiced by Kelsey Grammer in something close to his typical Frasier inflection. Then he was Australian. Now he’s some sort of London blue-collar type.
ISTR that the original gecko had a Australian-y accent, and then it changed to Michael Caine in The Italian Job. But now I’m not sure if it was ever Australian. I think it was, but it’s been English for so long now I don’t recall.
It’s roughly the kind of English that working-class characters in Britcoms from the 70s spoke (think Mr. Lucas from “Are You Being Served?”). Kin’ erv 'alf-mumbled, a toned-down ersatz Cockney.
The interweb tells me that the current voice of the Geico Gecko is Jake Wood, who plays Max Branning in our long-running soap, Eastenders. Having just watching a couple of the adverts, yeah, it is him. Voice sounds pretty much the same as how I’ve heard him speak on British telly.
The guy who did the voice that seems to be described as Australian is another British bloke, Dave Kelly.
Well I’ve just trawled the 'Tube for Geico ads and the gecko sounds authentically blue collar London in all of them, except maybe the very first one when he has a posher accent. No Australian or Manchester-doing-cockney to be found.
