# Infomercials **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2000, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362 "2000-06-04T12:06:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Obvious\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Obvious\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obvious_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/1 "2000-06-04T12:06:51Z")
I’ve been wondering about this for some time. It seems that at least 9 out of 10 infomercials always use someone with a British or Australian accent to sell whatever it is there selling. Why is this? Do they think they we respond better to these accents? Hmmm… I wonder if they use American accents in British infomercials. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/2 "2000-06-04T13:33:50Z")
We don’t get too many infomercials in the UK, mostly on cable channels. They seem to stick with the US voiceovers. ---
**Author:** ![Val2K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3da27b/32.png) [@Val2K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Val2K)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/3 "2000-06-04T15:07:53Z")
I’m just guessing at this, because who really knows why this is the case? (Other than the people who actually make the infomercials, feel free to reply.) It may be because the British or Australian accents give the infomercials a touch of the exotic without making the voices hard to understand. Most American people generally associate the exotic with the romantic, and so are drawn to the accent. At the same time, since English is spoken in England (let’s hope so, anyway) and Australia, the actors have no problem pronouncing the words. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/4 "2000-06-04T15:47:08Z")
(From Australia) We do get infomercials, usually after 2am on the commercial channels. This is a shame, because that’s when they used to show the _really_ bad films. Here, most are American, although some feature a British spruiker on an American “show”. picmr ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/5 "2000-06-04T17:59:14Z")
Its because they keep using the same two actors, maybe they’re trying to build some credibility with the same guys over and over again, like they’re the Mike Wallace and Morley Safer of the infomercial set. “Look maw, they couldn’t even get that ‘amazing products’ guy to host this show, lets not buy their snake oil!” ---
**Author:** ![Obvious\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Obvious\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obvious_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/6 "2000-06-04T18:24:12Z")
Val2k I think I would have to agree with you. Thats sounds the most plausible. I guess we will never see a Vietnamese salesman HAHA 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![diamud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@diamud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diamud)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infomercials/21362/7 "2000-06-04T20:18:58Z")
Having an English accent gives every piece of junk “that touch of class” that turns into cash. Although someone (for example from the British Isles) would recognize the accent as a middle or lower class accent.