# Worst English accents on US TV (And vice versa) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607 "2008-04-23T22:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/61 "2008-04-24T13:50:14Z")
Dead Badger writes: \> It always perplexed me that many Americans seem to think Australians sound \> English, and thus get them to play us (e.g. Anthony LaPaglia). But I worked it \> out after meeting a few Aussies who’d lived in the States for a few years. To \> get from an Australian to an American accent, you apparently have to go \> through an English accent. Yep. Don’t know how it works, but it’s true. Certain characteristics of the accents of Australians and Brits are shared (and not heard in American English). Certain characteristics of the accents of Australians and Americans are shared (and not heard in British English). Certain characteristics of the accents of Brits and Americans are shared (and not heard in Australian English). Thus Americans hear the shared similarities of Australian and British English and if they don’t want to listen harder, they can’t distinguish them. At least once a Brit told me that she heard Australian and American English as being similar in some ways. Do Australians sometimes hear American and British English as being similar in some ways? In general, it’s easy to hear the characteristics of your own dialect. It’s harder to make out the features of other dialects. It’s not true that Australians frequently do British roles in U.S. TV or movies. Anthony LaPaglia is a special (and weird) case. When he moved to the U.S., he decided to specialize in a very particular accent - an Italian-American New Yorker. He does this exclusively in his American roles, and it’s now become his natural accent in normal speech. Why the casting director on _Frasier_ decided to cast him as a Brit is anyone’s guess. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/62 "2008-04-24T13:51:19Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] I cringe when an episode of the new Doctor Who takes place in America. It’s not only the accents, it’s the words and the phrases. What’s bizarre is that some of the actors in the episode “Dalek” **were** American (living in England), and they still spoke Brit-like. [/QUOTE] Speaking of Doctor Who, John Barrowman’s(Capt. Jack Harkness) accent is dead perfect. I was freakin shocked when I heard him interviewed out of character, I had no idea. Unless the Scotish accent was a put-on, then Wooooosh on me 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/63 "2008-04-24T13:58:25Z")
[QUOTE=wolfman] Speaking of Doctor Who, John Barrowman’s(Capt. Jack Harkness) accent is dead perfect. I was freakin shocked when I heard him interviewed out of character, I had no idea. Unless the Scotish accent was a put-on, then Wooooosh on me 🙂 [/QUOTE] John Barrowman was born in Scotland, but raised in Joliet, Illinois. I think he’s lived in the UK for some time now. I’ve always been a bit confused by his “American” accent. It seems to slip just a bit on certain words. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/64 "2008-04-24T13:59:46Z")
[QUOTE=MGibson] I recently watched “The Meaning of Life” and those American accents were god awful. I had a hard time figuring out they were supposed to be American accents. Marc [/QUOTE] To be fair, they were supposed to be comedy versions of the accents the same way there aren’t english women who speak like the Python “women”… ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/65 "2008-04-24T13:59:49Z")
[QUOTE=wolfman] Speaking of Doctor Who, John Barrowman’s(Capt. Jack Harkness) accent is dead perfect. I was freakin shocked when I heard him interviewed out of character, I had no idea. Unless the Scotish accent was a put-on, then Wooooosh on me 🙂 [/QUOTE] Barrowman grew up in the States and still lives in California.. I’ve only ever heard him talk with an American accent, even when he was a kid’s TV presenter. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/66 "2008-04-24T14:24:06Z")
Is everyone forgetting Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle? (shudder) [QUOTE=h.sapiens] Jane Leeves’ _Frasier_ castmate John Mahoney actually grew up in Manchester (born in Blackpool), but he emigrated to America when he was a teenager, and I’ve heard that if he needs to use any kind of British accent for a role now, he needs a coach. [/QUOTE] I heard an interview with Mahoney. I seem to recall that he said he joined the U.S. Navy or something when he was 17 and changed his accent in order to fit in. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/67 "2008-04-24T14:53:12Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] Barrowman grew up in the States and still lives in California.. I’ve only ever heard him talk with an American accent, even when he was a kid’s TV presenter. [/QUOTE] I thought he lives over here now, with his civil partner? He’s on the telly often enough anyway! When he gets interviewed on a Scottish programme, he uses his Scottish accent - he sounds like he’s exaggerating it a little though, but I guess that’s part of his personality. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/68 "2008-04-24T14:55:39Z")
[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKstOzP0yt0&feature=related) is Barrowman speaking in his real accent. And then singing in his real accent. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/69 "2008-04-24T15:02:34Z")
Who could forget the worst Scottish accent ever, Christopher Lambert in _Highlander_. I thought he modern day accent worked well. It sounded like a mismash of accents like he was living in various countries for a few hundred years. But in the flashbacks he was awful. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/70 "2008-04-24T15:11:56Z")
[QUOTE=beanpod] Another vote for Jamie Bamber as the best fake-American accent I’ve heard. We were watching the extras on the DVDs and it made me do a double-take when he started talking about how the guy who plays Baltar can at least use his normal voice. Then they either had a cut of him in character or he faked the accent in the middle of his comments. Freakishly well done. The most surprising thing is how his voice got louder and…harder, I guess…when he was doing the American accent. As for bad ones…not sure, I’ll have to come back to that. [/QUOTE] Re: the louder and harder Hugh Laurie’s voice seems to do this too. I never could describe how it changed, but that is a perfect description. I wonder why this is? ---
**Author:** ![Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckler_of_Swashing)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/71 "2008-04-24T15:25:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] On the other hand, probably the best - Is Spike from Buffy. I naturally assumed Spike _was_ English until I saw a behind the scenes type show of Buffy. [/QUOTE] Really? Wow. I mean, for me - it’s not a terrible accent but I could easily tell he was putting it on. A number of my English friends cringe when they hear it. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/72 "2008-04-24T16:18:27Z")
> [@](#): > > It goes on that she adopted a Midwest accent in school to fit in. She then spent a lot of time in NY and LA. So, I guess her “real” accent is anybody’s guess. I’ve read that in real life, she speaks with an American accent when she’s in the United States and a British accent when she’s in the United Kingdom. One that surprised me was Alan Cumming. I’d seen him do a number of different accents in various roles but I never realized he actually spoke with a Scottish accent until the first time I heard him not playing a character. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/73 "2008-04-24T17:07:58Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] He is Australian. [/QUOTE] LaPaglia’s \*Without a Trace \* co-stars include another Aussie–Poppy Montgomery–and a Brit–Marianne-Jean-Baptiste, both playing Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/74 "2008-04-24T21:14:07Z")
[QUOTE=The Punkyova] Clearly, none of you have tried to sit through Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins.” Horrible. Just horrible. [/QUOTE] But Brion James, as “The Englishman” in _Tango and Cash_ would actually have _benefited_ if he’d taken lessons from Dick Van Dyke. (Seriously. His performance as, apparently, a South African with some sort of sprained larynx, is my personal benchmark for bad attempts at an English accent. Anthony LaPaglia runs him pretty close, though.) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/75 "2008-04-24T21:44:47Z")
> [@](#): > > posted by **tremorviole** t > The all-time worst American accent I’ve ever heard was Benny Hill\*. It was so bad I could only tell he was trying to be American because he was wearing a cowboy hat and waving an American flag. > > \*who, granted, was not known for his particularly stellar acting skills. I once saw Mr. Hill do a sketch in which he played a Confederate soldier. I didn’t mind the way he mangled a southern drawl, but he had “Battle Hymn of the Republic” playing in the background! ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/76 "2008-04-24T22:21:25Z")
Someone I’m surprised hasn’t been mentioned yet: Renee Zellweger did a very good Brit accent as Bridget Jones. Granted she was speaking the way Americans probably think we all talk (i.e. we’re all from Hampshire) but the way she represented that accent was extremely good. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/77 "2008-04-24T22:47:03Z")
Daniel Day Lewis does a mighty fine american accent. Also, Christian Bale does pretty well for the most part, but before I knew he was british, I just thought he had a unique way of articulating himself. Now I figure he has it down about 98%, enough to pass as american with something you can’t quite put your finger on. Another nod for Jamie Bamber. Both my wife and I were blown away when we first heard him speak in his real voice. We had no inkling. The chick on Sarah Connor Chronicles is pretty good to, although if you’re paying attention, you can catch some slips. Same for the Bionic Woman chick. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/78 "2008-04-24T23:10:49Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] I’d always assumed that Daphne was an American trying to do a Mancunian accent. It did tend to wander a bit on occasions. [/QUOTE] No cite, but I’m pretty sure I’ve read in an interview that there was a concious decision among the production team that no single actual accent would work, and that the best option was to create the holy grail, the generic ‘British’ accent. [QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Why the casting director on _Frasier_ decided to cast him as a Brit is anyone’s guess. [/QUOTE] I’ve always taken the accents of her family to be an ironic nod in the direction of the British fans who put up with Daphne’s voice for so long. After you create an a character with an accent which cannot place her in any real location, then perhaps the only option is for other ridiculous voices to emerge. [QUOTE=Little Nemo] I’ve read that in real life, she speaks with an American accent when she’s in the United States and a British accent when she’s in the United Kingdom. [/QUOTE] I cannot hear my mother’s Irish accent in normal conversation, although others notice it straight away. However, when she is on the phone to one of her sisters, it changes entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/79 "2008-04-24T23:12:32Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Irish =! British. (Unless you’re strictly talking only about Northern Ireland, and even then half of the population will disagree with you.) BBC Radio 4 has dramas on a regular basis set in non-UK climes, the accents on which make me want to rip out my eardrums and use them to wrap nuggets of dogshit in and mail them to the BBC. The worst recently was an adaptation of _Love My Rifle More than You_ - recounting the experiences of Kayla Williams, a translator with the US army in Iraq. While they got an American actress to narrate, the supporting cast sounded like a bunch of people from Surbiton dressed up like cowboys on their way to their weekly line dancing and bingo night. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard a lot of ear-splittingly bad American accents on the BBC Radio dramas I listen to at work. I just heard one today - Of Rats and Men - that I almost had to stop listening to because the accents were so bad. There are a few actors they hire regularly that they seem to think do really good American accents. They don’t. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607/80 "2008-04-24T23:21:46Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] BBC Radio 4 has dramas on a regular basis set in non-UK climes, the accents on which make me want to rip out my eardrums and use them to wrap nuggets of dogshit in and mail them to the BBC. [/QUOTE] I do remember an amusing moment on _Feedback_, following on from the extracts from _Last Man Down_. The complainants hated the obviously over-the-top stereotypical New York accent. It turned out that the actor reading them was from Brooklyn :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-english-accents-on-us-tv-and-vice-versa/446607.md?page=5)