I know Frasier has been mentioned but the worst one ever was with Daphne's old boyfriend from Manchester. It's the two Mrs Cranes episode. The fella has the worst English accent ever (worse than Dick Van Dyke) and was just cringeworthy. As for the rest they have Daphne saying things that she wouldn't like smacking someone's fanny when it means something way different here than in the US.
As for the posh accent thing I think it's because Americans can understand it better than a regional accent. They subtitle English people on US TV - my personal favourite being a bloke from Newcastle on BBC America.
Mission Impossible 1980's revival on cbs action right now. Its showing northern ireland as muddy streets and animals everywhere.Drunks and bare knuckle boxing. Every stereotype is getting an airing. Amazing to think it was actually filmed in Australia.
Half the UK audience could probably do with subtitles for some Geordie's mind you...:)
It's funny you should say that. Both times I've been to North America the majority found me and my dad easy to understand but they really struggled with the cockney accent. They did however think we were Australian, Scottish and finally Scandinavian. They didn't believe that we were English.
Oh god I remember now! Was the mcgyver one with brian blessseeeedddd! Anyone remember captain planet that silly hanna barbera cartoon about eco-super heroes? Well there was this episode set in a burning green pub-filled belfast. Being a cartoon a bit of artistic licence was needed, but honestly it looked like stalingrad. Not even the dundalk road looked that bad!
It's funny you should say that. Both times I've been to North America the majority found me and my dad easy to understand but they really struggled with the cockney accent. They did however think we were Australian, Scottish and finally Scandinavian. They didn't believe that we were English.
I have travelled America a lot and have a (mild) Lancashire accent. When I was travelling with an Aussie most people said we sounded alike.
I suppose it is similar to how Canadians and Americans are easily distinguished by one another but here can often be mistaken as much the same.
Another American asked me what part of Lancashire I was from and guessed from the accent it was Edinburgh....:)
Most us tv shows don't film abroad. Even most of the ones in the past used the old hollywood backlots like universal which heroes used. Only columbo did some very limited scenes with Peter Falk and some of the other actors and now a lot of shows film in new york
I like watching the show Psych which is supposedly set locally but is so blatantly not filmed here at all (except for some brief aerial shots of the scenery). Sometimes I wonder if the writers have even visited.
Most us tv shows don't film abroad. Even most of the ones in the past used the old hollywood backlots like universal which heroes used. Only columbo did some very limited scenes with Peter Falk and some of the other actors and now a lot of shows film in new york
Sorry for posting twice, but I meant abroad I meant outside north america.
Can we now include films?
Inclusions
Mrs miniver
Random harvest
Dial m for murder
Star! (Actually this had a lot of londom filming and had brits like brucey forsyth and michael craig)
Mary poppins
The basil rathbone nigel bruce sherlock holmes films
Midnight lace
How green is my valley
Lassie come home (yorkshire usa
Adventures of robin hood
Terror in the wax museum
The elvis presley Double Trouble
The invisible man
Hangover square
The lodger
The undying monster
Son of dr jekyll
Daughter of dr jekyll
The black sleep
Dr jekyll and mr hyde 1931/1941
The old dark house
The 1960 time machine
The episodes of friends were rubbish because the episodes were rubbish but apart from cameos from English actors or celebrities there was nobody else in it and 80% took place on a set.
The worst depiction of an English accent is Annabelle in season 7 of Buffy. "Gawd it was frightful pip pip" such a shame as Spike and Wesley do it so well.
Sorry for posting twice, but I meant abroad I meant outside north america.
Can we now include films?
Inclusions
Mrs miniver
Random harvest
Dial m for murder
Star! (Actually this had a lot of londom filming and had brits like brucey forsyth and michael craig)
Mary poppins
The basil rathbone nigel bruce sherlock holmes films
Midnight lace
How green is my valley
Lassie come home (yorkshire usa
Adventures of robin hood
Terror in the wax museum
The elvis presley Double Trouble
The invisible man
Hangover square
The lodger
The undying monster
Son of dr jekyll
Daughter of dr jekyll
The black sleep
Dr jekyll and mr hyde 1931/1941
The old dark house
The 1960 time machine
The worst English accent in a movie ever was Ewen McGregor ruining the Star Wars prequels with his dreadful accent. It made me screw up my face and clench my buttocks. If someone can't do the accent then either have him as Scottish or hire someone else. Grrrr :mad:.
I don't like the way alot of American shows depict Britain. One I actually didn't mind was Buffy. Giles was British and thankfully they had a British actor rather than an American putting on a posh accent.
It's funny how America does seem to think most people here speak in a very posh way and drink tea all the time. Lol
Have just been watching One Born Every Minuite. We DO drink tea all the time!
I have travelled America a lot and have a (mild) Lancashire accent. When I was travelling with an Aussie most people said we sounded alike.
I suppose it is similar to how Canadians and Americans are easily distinguished by one another but here can often be mistaken as much the same.
It's not necessarily a similar comparison though. People from the western US and western Canada have essentially the same accent. The only differences are a handful of words which are down to national cultural norms and not regional accent. Not surprising since there was plenty of cross settlement up through mid 19th Century throughout western North America. The accent in Ontario and the maritime provinces have a few more noticeable differences to the American standard accent. But even in these cases the differences between an Australian accent and Lancashire accent are vast by comparison. The reason Americans confuse them is probably down to a lack of familiarity with one or both of the accents. A better US/Can correlation might be made comparing Australian and New Zealand accents.
I can't always tell whether a person is Canadian or American, nor can I always tell the difference between British, Australian, and New Zealand accents.
I'm sure a lot of depictions of Britain in our media are unfair and stereotypical. I'm sure it goes the other way as well.
I know Frasier has been mentioned but the worst one ever was with Daphne's old boyfriend from Manchester. It's the two Mrs Cranes episode. The fella has the worst English accent ever (worse than Dick Van Dyke) and was just cringeworthy. As for the rest they have Daphne saying things that she wouldn't like smacking someone's fanny when it means something way different here than in the US.
As for the posh accent thing I think it's because Americans can understand it better than a regional accent. They subtitle English people on US TV - my personal favourite being a bloke from Newcastle on BBC America.
They subtitle Americans over here, too. Have you seen the show about the Louisiana alligator hunters? A lot of them have subtitles when they speak.
I can understand the speech of a lot of Brits whom I have heard, but there's some I can't make much sense of.
Americans don't think you all talk that way -- it is just that your "upper class morons" are the only people among your lot whose accents are reliably intelligible to us (yes, Canadians too) on my side of the Atlantic. American TV producers make a calculated choice to go for intelligibility over accuracy, and that is the RIGHT choice, especially given that the programmes are made for Americans, not -- well -- you.:)
True.
Even Americans who are cast usually don't have very strong accents unless the role calls for it.
Comments
Not to mention that on JAG Brits were always the villains and there was that stereotype episode set in Northern Ireland
British Ex-Pat Cheese Rollers. I'm lost for words.
They cut the part where Morris gets their attention by shouting something rude about David Beckham.
You'll notice they don't let Parminder Nagra anywhere near them, either. Her authentic UK accent would have shown them up for what they were.
As for the posh accent thing I think it's because Americans can understand it better than a regional accent. They subtitle English people on US TV - my personal favourite being a bloke from Newcastle on BBC America.
It's funny you should say that. Both times I've been to North America the majority found me and my dad easy to understand but they really struggled with the cockney accent. They did however think we were Australian, Scottish and finally Scandinavian. They didn't believe that we were English.
I have travelled America a lot and have a (mild) Lancashire accent. When I was travelling with an Aussie most people said we sounded alike.
I suppose it is similar to how Canadians and Americans are easily distinguished by one another but here can often be mistaken as much the same.
Another American asked me what part of Lancashire I was from and guessed from the accent it was Edinburgh....:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clnozSXyF4k
Ugly betty wasn't filmed anywhere you thought;)
Depends on if you count Vancouver as abroad.
I like watching the show Psych which is supposedly set locally but is so blatantly not filmed here at all (except for some brief aerial shots of the scenery). Sometimes I wonder if the writers have even visited.
You sure they didn't think you were Scouse? A fair few Scousers accents are mistaken for Aussie in the States,
Can we now include films?
Inclusions
Mrs miniver
Random harvest
Dial m for murder
Star! (Actually this had a lot of londom filming and had brits like brucey forsyth and michael craig)
Mary poppins
The basil rathbone nigel bruce sherlock holmes films
Midnight lace
How green is my valley
Lassie come home (yorkshire usa
Adventures of robin hood
Terror in the wax museum
The elvis presley Double Trouble
The invisible man
Hangover square
The lodger
The undying monster
Son of dr jekyll
Daughter of dr jekyll
The black sleep
Dr jekyll and mr hyde 1931/1941
The old dark house
The 1960 time machine
The worst depiction of an English accent is Annabelle in season 7 of Buffy. "Gawd it was frightful pip pip" such a shame as Spike and Wesley do it so well.
Can we now include films?
Inclusions
Mrs miniver
Random harvest
Dial m for murder
Star! (Actually this had a lot of londom filming and had brits like brucey forsyth and michael craig)
Mary poppins
The basil rathbone nigel bruce sherlock holmes films
Midnight lace
How green is my valley
Lassie come home (yorkshire usa
Adventures of robin hood
Terror in the wax museum
The elvis presley Double Trouble
The invisible man
Hangover square
The lodger
The undying monster
Son of dr jekyll
Daughter of dr jekyll
The black sleep
Dr jekyll and mr hyde 1931/1941
The old dark house
The 1960 time machine
Have just been watching One Born Every Minuite. We DO drink tea all the time!
Spike spoke with a cockney accent (or tried to. It got worse I thought after Tony Head left the show.)
It's not necessarily a similar comparison though. People from the western US and western Canada have essentially the same accent. The only differences are a handful of words which are down to national cultural norms and not regional accent. Not surprising since there was plenty of cross settlement up through mid 19th Century throughout western North America. The accent in Ontario and the maritime provinces have a few more noticeable differences to the American standard accent. But even in these cases the differences between an Australian accent and Lancashire accent are vast by comparison. The reason Americans confuse them is probably down to a lack of familiarity with one or both of the accents. A better US/Can correlation might be made comparing Australian and New Zealand accents.
I'm sure a lot of depictions of Britain in our media are unfair and stereotypical. I'm sure it goes the other way as well.
They subtitle Americans over here, too. Have you seen the show about the Louisiana alligator hunters? A lot of them have subtitles when they speak.
I can understand the speech of a lot of Brits whom I have heard, but there's some I can't make much sense of.
True.
Even Americans who are cast usually don't have very strong accents unless the role calls for it.